Los Angeles. There are five hours to go before votes cast by 5,739 eligible members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are whisked away by PriceWaterhouse Coopers.

Now, it is no longer a question of pretenders and contenders. Only numbers will count. Fates will be sealed. For Ashutosh Gowarikar and Lagaan, it is the hour of reckoning. ''I don't know what to say. It's a great feeling, a bit mystical. Or, let me put it this way, when I decided to make Lagaan, I thought I would make a century. But things have gone way beyond and we are nearing a double century. The feeling is like that of a batsman who is batting on 199,'' says Gowarikar.

The nervousness notwithstanding, optimism is the dominant note of this voice which speaks from the other side of the Atlantic.

''We are hoping for the best but the fact is that being nominated along with four other films from different parts of the world is a great feeling in itself,'' he says. ''I don't know how Lagaan's presence at the Oscars will translate into tangible and intangible benefits for the Indian film industry, but one thing is for sure: being here makes me proud to be an Indian. And so, I hope, is the feeling of billions of Indians. Because let's not forget, the best foreign film is the only category in which the name of the producer and director is not associated with the film. It is the name of the country that is announced,'' says Gowarikar.

With the Oscars shifting to a new venue which has only 3100 seats as against the earlier figure of 5600, many a wannabe guest has been denied a ticket. But this does not worry the Lagaan team, which has not two but four tickets to the Big Night. ''Besides Aamir and I plus our wives, if you include Bhanu Athaiya, who is also a member of the Academy and has designed the clothes for Lagaan, it makes five of us,'' says Gowarikar.

All five, of course, will be dressed at their best. ''I will be wearing a Bhanu Athaiya-designed sherwani, though I have yet to decide on the colour. My wife will wear a beige sari designed by Abu Jaani and Sandeep Khosla. As for Aamir and his wife, they are still deciding what to wear,'' he adds.

Lagaan has already come a long way... but the Oscars certainly don't mean a journey's end. ''After March 25, we will participate at festivals in Brazil, Argentina and Australia. Then, in May, the film will be re-released in the US followed by Europe.

This will mean at least six more months on the road for us,'' says Gowarikar, ''I waited for five years to make Lagaan. What's another six months or a year ?''

As the seconds tick away, the clock closes in on that hallowed moment when time will stand still. A voice will announce: and the Oscar goes to... India will have its heart in its mouth and it's heart will say... Lagaan.