FWICE says Chhello Show ‘isn’t even an Indian film’, wants no jury

• The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has voiced serious objections to the choice of Chhello Show as India’s official entry for the Oscars.
• The union asserted that Chhello Show is not even an Indian film and urged that the Film Federation of India (FFI) reconsider its decision.
• Gujarati coming-of-age drama film Chhello Show, which was released in English as Last Film Show, was directed by Pan Nalin.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has voiced serious objections to the choice of Chhello Show as India’s official entry for the Oscars. After numerous people, including lovers of movies like RRR and The Kashmir Files, expressed unhappiness with the choice. The union asserted that Chhello Show is not even an Indian film and urged that the Film Federation of India (FFI) reconsider its decision.

Gujarati coming-of-age drama film Chhello Show, which was released in English as Last Film Show, was directed by Pan Nalin. According to FWICE, India’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards is ineligible because it is a foreign film.

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FWICE President BN Tiwari said, “The film is not an Indian film and the process of selection is not correct. There were so many Indian films like RRR and The Kashmir Files but the jury chose a foreign film that has been bought by Siddharth Roy Kapur.”

Also raising questions about the jury of the Film Federation of India (FFI), BN Tiwari said, “We want re-election of the films and the present jury be dissolved. Half of them are there for years and most of them don’t watch the film and voting is done. If ‘Last Film Show’ is sent, it will reflect badly on India which is known to be an industry that makes maximum number of films.” He also said that FWICE will be writing to Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur to voice their complaints.

A 17-member jury chose Chhello Show as India’s official Oscars entry from among the other 13 submissions. In defense of itself, the FFI argued that a movie’s level of popularity cannot determine whether it will represent India at the Oscars.

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The president of the Oscar selection committee, director and actor TS Nagabharana, previously addressed the criticisms, asking, “Do they mean to claim that just marketing, entertainment value, public appeal, or collection figures are the criteria for a film to make an impression at the Oscars? Who are these individuals? I am an Indian as well. The popularity or collection don’t matter; the narrative does. Simply having your heart moved by the movie is sufficient.

A nine-year-old Gujarati kid is followed in the film Chhello Show as he develops a lifelong love of movies. Because Pan Nalin was also born and raised in Saurashtra, Gujarat, the story is claimed to be semi-autobiographical.