Chhello Show snubbed at the 95th Academy Awards

Going global with this year’s nominees for International Feature Film. #Oscars #Oscars95 pic.twitter.com/naCBKbjol6

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 24, 2023

Chhello Show was famously chosen over the fan-favourite Telugu blockbuster RRR as India’s official selection in the category, despite not having played at any major film festivals (beyond Tribeca) or having any sort of momentum behind it. It also attracted controversy when similarities were drawn between its plot and that of the Italian classic Cinema Paradiso. The film was presented by producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, and received a brief theatrical run before debuting on Netflix.

This has historically been India’s most successful category at the Academy Awards. While no Indian film has ever won in this category, which was previously known as Best Foreign Language Film, three Indian titles have previously been nominated. Mehboob Khan’s Mother India was nominated at the 30th Academy Awards, Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay was nominated at the 61st Academy Awards, and Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan was nominated at the 74th Academy Awards. The first Indian ever to be nominated at the Oscars was costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, for her work on Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi. In 1992, the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray was given an honorary Oscar. The last time India tasted success at the Oscars was when Danny Boyle’s British film Slumdog Millionaire swept the awards, winning composer AR Rahman, lyricist Gulzar and sound engineer Resul Pookooty their Academy Awards. Last year, Writing with Fire was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category.

Pan Nalin has mostly worked on international projects. After starting out as a documentary filmmaker, he broke out with the 2001 drama Samsara, and followed it up with 2006’s Valley of Flowers. In 2015, he directed Angry Indian Goddesses, and his last feature film was 2017’s Beyond the Known World.

The 95th Academy Awards will be held on March 13 (IST), and the ceremony will be hosted for the third time by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.