From Saurashtra to LA: ‘Chhello Show’ is India’s entry for Oscars

The poster of Gujarati coming-of-age drama Chhello Show. (Photo: PR Handout)

Interestingly, Chhello Show was in contention last year, too, to be India’s official entry before the FFI picked P S Vinothraj’s Tamil film ‘Koozhangal (Pebbles)’.

Film Federation of India president T P Aggarwal said, “Last year, Chhello Show was not considered for being India’s entry for the Academy Awards since it was not released then. The filmmakers, at that time, didn’t have a plan for its release. This year, the film was submitted with an affidavit specifying October 14 as their theatrical release date.”

Aggarwal said that out of 17 movies reviewed for the official selection, the jury “unanimously” picked Chhello Show.

Nalin’s movie is set against the backdrop of cinemas in India witnessing a massive transition from celluloid to digital, where hundreds of single-screen cinemas stand dilapidated or have disappeared altogether.

Thrilled over the film’s selection, Nalin thanked the FFI and the jury. He said in a statement: ”I could have never imagined such a day would come and bring light and celebration of light. Chhello Show has been enjoying love from around the world but there was an ache in my heart: how do I make India discover it? Now I can breathe again and believe in cinema that entertains, inspires and enlightens.”

Nalin’s earlier films include Samsara (2001), Valley of Flowers (2006), Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) and Ayurveda: Art of Being (2001). Chhello Show had its world premiere at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival in 2021.

Producer Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “When cinema-going people around the world have been disrupted by a pandemic, it (Chhello Show) reminds audiences anew of the first time they fell in love with the experience of watching a movie in a darkened cinema hall.”

Other films reviewed by the selection committee include RRR, Brahmastra, Rocketry — the Nambi Effect, Jhund, Badhaai Do, and Anek.

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In fact, Chhello Show’s official selection came as a surprise for many, as SS Rajamouli’s RRR, which has impressed several western critics, was speculated to be the frontrunner.

The 95th Academy Awards ceremony is expected to take place in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023.