22 December 2022
Hyderabad

It was a good day for India as four films have been shortlisted for nominations at the 95th Oscar Awards. Besides Naatu Naatu song from RRR, which made history by being the first Indian song to be nominated for the prestigious Oscars, Chhello Show, a Gujarati-language coming-of-age story of a young boy's love affair with cinema in a village of Saurashtra, which was selected as India’s official entry to Oscars, also made it to the shortlist. It was a joint production venture between Siddharth Roy Kapur and Dheer Momaya,

It will be competing with 14 other films, including Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), Decision to Leave (South Korea), All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Close (Belgium) and The Blue Caftan (Morocco) for the top prize.

Naturally, the team of Chhello Show is delighted with the recognition. “Ever since our selection by the Film Federation of India as India's Official Entry to the 95th Oscars, we knew in our hearts that the film was bound for something special. We would like to thank the FFI, the millions of people who watched and admired 'Chhello Show', as well as our international distributors who gave the film a well-deserved push. This is a historic moment for India and we hope to bring the Oscar home very soon,” Kapur, Momaya and Nalin said in a joint statement.

A couple of films in the Documentary Feature Film category have also been shortlisted from India – All That Breathes and The Elephant Whisperers. The former, directed by Shaunak Sen, narrates the tale of two siblings who devote their lives to rescue and treat injured birds, especially the Black Kites, while the latter, produced by popular name and Oscar winner Guneet Monga, depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephants and their caretakers. Kartiki Gonsalves directed The Elephant Whisperers.

The nominations for the Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.