DIRECTOR Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show (Last Film Show) was recently selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards. Since then, the selection of Gujarati film, that follows a nine-year-old boy’s love for cinema, has raised several questions. Nalin addressed them as well as talks about its making in a freewheeling chat with Alaka Sahani. Excerpts:
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The selection of Chhello Show (The Last Show) as India’s official entry for the Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film took many by surprise. What’s your reaction?
Like many others, I too was surprised by the announcement. No one was talking about our movie and there was no mention of it in the media. The announcement gave so much joy to my cast and crew.
What was the trigger for making Chhello Show, which draws from your experience as a child?
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Nearly a decade ago, several single-screen theatres started shutting down. There was a major shift in India from celluloid to digital. That rendered many jobless. Tales of my childhood obsession with cinema shared by my family became an inspiration to develop the screenplay of Chhello Show. We lived in Adtala, a remote part of Gujarat. My parents rarely went to watch a movie. The first film I watched was Jai Mahakali. It left a powerful impact on me and somehow I knew I would like to do something related to cinema.
What’s your response to the comparison between the famous Italian movie Cinema Paradiso (1988) and Chhello Show?
Cinema Paradiso is one of my favourite movies and I had watched it a long time ago. It is natural that people would make this comparison since both these movies are about (love for) cinema. I would say that before jumping to any kind of conclusion, watch the movie. Ultimately, Chhello Show is a personal story and I had to be honest to it.
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How did you zero in on your cast and locations?
The children acting in the movie are from the Kathiawar region of Gujarat. We shot in a number of locations around Sasan Gir. We also filmed some of the climax sequences in Rajkot. We were fortunate to have finished most of the filming before the first lockdown in 2020. In June 2021, the film was screened at Tribeca Festival as the opening film of its Spotlight section.
Last year, you had submitted Chhello Show to the Film Federation of India (FFI) to be selected as India’s Oscar entry. Were you disappointed when it wasn’t picked?
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The Academy has a rule that a film to be qualified should be released in theatres by the year-end. We didn’t have enough time for that. Since the Academy said that the movies which were not released in the theatres during the pandemic can re-apply, it gave us hope. The movie will release in India on October 14.
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Have you watched the movies which were competing for the official selection?
No, I haven’t. I only know about a few titles which were in contention.
Many believe that SS Rajamouli’s RRR had an edge over Chhello Show since several American critics have loved the film.
In our country, media and people talk about glamour and big stars more. We have got awards at several film festivals in America. We have got really good international distributors, Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orange Studio for the US and European markets, respectively. We don’t have a money machine behind us but we are relying on the strength of our movie. Samuel Goldwyn is organising screenings of Chhello Show in the US. Last year, I was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. So, I can organise screenings too. I just want people to watch the film and decide.
