Pan Nalin: 'Chello Show's Central Theme Will Speak To Everyone In India'

(Editor’s note: This interview was conducted before Chello Show actor Rahul Koli passed away aged 10, of leukemia.)

Director Pan Nalin was in a taxi in Mumbai when he got the news that his Gujarati film Chhello Show (titled ‘The Last Film Show' in English) was India’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. “I was exploding with so much joy, I almost could not breathe!” he told OTTplay in the run-up to the film’s theatrical release on October 14. “The taxi driver panicked, and wanted to call an ambulance! But soon after, I was able to gather myself as my phone was buzzing.”

When the Film Federation of India (FFI) made the announcement, it caused much consternation among those lobbying for SS Rajamouli’s RRR and the Vivek Agnihotri-directed The Kashmir Files. Nalin, however, noted that all films deserve a fair chance and the backlash his team had received was saddening. “Such malice and baseless allegations can hamper our efforts with the Academy,” said Nalin, known for films such as Samsara, Valley of Flowers and Angry Indian Goddesses. “Every nation celebrates and supports their selection, but we are happy that as more and more people watch The Last Film Show, they are rising in our support.”

Produced by Roy Kapur Films, Jugaad Motion Pictures, Monsoon Films, and Chhello Show LLP, the film is being distributed in the country by Roy Kapur Films in partnership with PVR.

Roy Kapur Films’ Siddharth Roy Kapur said that he had learnt not to be disappointed by other people’s opinions, as cinema is a subjective medium to begin with. Looking beyond the backlash, Kapur noted that the jury had made its choice and The Last Film Show team was proud to be so honoured and fully intended to represent Indian cinema in the best possible way at the Oscars.

“If an Indian film wins, it’s a victory for all of us, so I think we should be supporting all the films that have a chance of [winning] an Academy Award this year. If any of them wins in any category whatsoever then it’s a win for India,” Kapur told this correspondent.

Chello Show is inspired by Nalin’s own memories of falling in love with movies as a child in rural Gujarat; it is set in a remote Saurashtra village.

It traces the story of a nine-year-old boy who begins a lifelong love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace and spends a summer watching films from the projection booth.

Nalin described Last Film Show as the purest and most honest form of storytelling driven by human emotions and the power of dreams. “Its central theme of ‘films, food, friends and family’ will speak to the vast majority of people across India,” he asserted, “just as it has already done abroad.”

Chello Show stars Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, and Dipen Raval, and aside from Indian theatres, is being released in the US, France, Japan and Italy.