Gujarati film is India’s official Oscars entry
THE Gujarati film Chhello Show, a coming-of-age drama about a young boy’s love affair with cinema in a village in Saurashtra, was named as India’s official entry for the 95th Academy Awards.
Titled Last Film Show
in English, the Pan Nalindirected film was unanimously chosen over films such as SS Rajamouli’s RRR,
Ranbir Kapoor-led Brahmastra: Part One Shiva,
Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files and R Madhavan’s directorial debut Rocketry.
Chhello Show is inspired by Nalin’s own memories of falling in love with movies as a child in rural Gujarat. The film follows the story of a nine-year-old boy who begins a lifelong love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown film theatre and spends a summer watching movies from the projection booth.
“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 that how do I make India discover it? Now I can breathe again and believe in cinema that entertains, inspires and enlightens. Thank you FFI, Thank you jury,” Nalin said.
Chhello Show, which features Bhavin Rabari, Vikas Bata, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval and Rahul Koli, had its world premiere as the opening film at the Tribeca Film Festival in June last year.