Netizens Unhappy After Gujarati Film "Chhello Show" Named India's official Oscar entry; RRR Still Has A Chance (Find Out)

Fans and critics are unhappy after the jury names Gujarati film Chhello Show is named India's official entry for the Oscars. The Film Federation of India made the announcement on Tuesday and netizens are calling it a 'missed opportunity.' The yet-to-release film is a coming-of-age drama directed by Pan Nalin.

The film portrays a nine-year-old boy's love for big screen projection and his journey. A press note released by the jury states, "Chello Show is set at the cusp of the digital revolution and follows a nine-year-old boy ensnared by the magic and science of light and shadow that lies behind celluloid film projection."

Interestingly, Chhello Show was picked over SS Rajamouli's RRR, Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, Sajimon Prabhakar's Malayankunju and Rahul Sankrityan's Shyam Singha Roy. However, fans and critics are upset with the selection as they feel RRR would have been a better choice.

Expressing his disappointment, film critic Sumit Kandel tweeted, "Gujarati film #ChhelloShow is India's official entry for Oscars 2023 and as always India has ZERO chance of getting nominated forget about winning. #RRR was our BEST BET in last 2 decades to win an oscar for India. Really Sad to see Film federation of India ignored this fact ."

Trade analyst Ramesh Bala has added another interesting perspective here. "A country's official entry is needed only for "Best International/Best Foreign Film" category.. Like #CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon or #LifeIsBeautiful or #Parasite #RRRMovie can be nominated for mainstream categories except Best International Film.."

RRR became the top contender after international magazine Variety listed the film on its potential Oscar winner list. International film critic Clayton Davis too has vouched for RRR in the Oscar nomination list this year.

In an article for Variety, Davis wrote, "The film RRR which is a three-hour action epic is the biggest film in India's history. There is generally a lot of buzz at the moment because India is in the process of choosing a film to be selected to represent them at the Academy Award ceremony. RRR has lit up social media with its star Jr NTR, thirst traps, and visual effects."

The good news is that the US distributor of the film is planning to nominate the film in different categories and has urged 10,000 Academy members to consider voting for the film.

According to a report on Variety, the film will be submitted for best picture, director (S.S. Rajamouli), original screenplay (Rajamouli and V. Vijayendra Prasad), lead actor (for both N.T. Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan), supporting actor (Ajay Devgn), supporting actress (Alia Bhatt), original song ("Naatu Naatu"), original score (M.M. Keeravaani), cinematography, production design, film editing, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, sound and visual effects.