The son of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin has hit out at Hollywood's interpretation of his father's life and says that he wants to set the record straight about the past.

Forest Whitaker was awarded the Best Actor Oscar at the annual Academy Awards ceremony last night in Los Angeles for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, but Jaffar Amin claims that the film bears little relation to the man he knew.

Jaffar, 40, who still refers to Idi Amin as "Big Daddy" and plans to write a book about his father, is calling for a truth and reconciliation committee to be established to investigate the truth about his father and Uganda's turbulent past.

"Dad is the only person that has ever been accused and sentenced, incarcerated by opinion, without it ever reaching any courthouse," he told the Associated Press.

The Amin family has maintained its silence for more than two decades, but has decided to speak out after the feature film placed the former Ugandan leader back in the spotlight.

Jaffar Amin has not denied any of the accusations levelled at his father about alleged atrocities taking place during his regime, but insists that Idi Amin should not simply be seen as a brutal eccentric. "I want to show another side," he explained. "I want to show a parent, I want to show my father."

Having come to power in post-independence Uganda, military dictator Idi Amin has been accused of widespread atrocities, with between 80,000 and 500,000 people disappearing during his dictatorship. Overthrown by a coup in 1979, he and his family fled to Saudi Arabia until his death four years ago.