Chhello Show: Director Pan Nalin, producer Dheer Momaya talk about importance of Oscar Awards | Exclusive

A few weeks ago, it was announced that filmmaker Pan Nalin's Gujarati-language film Chhello Show, titled Last Film Show in English, was picked as India's official entry to the Oscars over popular choices such as SS Rajamouli's RRR, Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files, R Madhavan's Rocketry The Nambi Effect, among others.

The announcement did not go down too well with a section of cinephiles and critics who believed RRR would be the obvious choice of the Film Federation of India, courtesy of the craze around the film in India and in the West. If not RRR, The Kashmir Files or Rocketry The Nambi Effect were the next options.

So when Chhello Show was announced as India's official entry to the Oscars under the Best International Feature Film category, it came as a surprise for the majority. Angry cinephiles took to social media to express their disappointment over RRR being snubbed. And now, RRR has independently begun its Oscars campaign under all categories it is eligible for including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, among others.

But do the Oscars really mean so much? Why is there so much obsession with the Oscars? How important is it to get nominated for the Academy Awards, and/or win it? Is getting an Oscar the only validation for a film?

We asked these questions to Chhello Show director Pan Nalin and producer Dheer Momagaya of Jugaad Motion Pictures. On hearing the question, the latter was quick to state, "We as filmmakers...we never really look at or put a boundary on our film. We try to make a film and keep it as limitless as possible. There is no ceiling achievement for a film. No board, no festival award, nothing really makes us happier than pleasing the audience because we at the end are in service of the audience."

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Dheer added, "What the Oscar does is (again, it's not at all our goal when we were setting out to do the film, because I feel like the film is much bigger than any award per se) it brings the attention of the audience to the film." He elaborated, "For example, if you didn't have an Oscar or a Cannes win or if you didn't win a massive award, a film without big stars, without big studio without very wide distribution, would not get as much conversation and recognition sparked around the film. So having being India's entry to the Oscar, getting a nomination or winning an award in Seminci or in Tribeca, all it really does is, sparks interest and conversation around the film and brings attention to the film which eventually translates into higher footfalls in the cinemas."

Director Pan Nalin chimed in with his opinions. He told DNA, "As a filmmaker when one is making a movie, at least whenever I have made a movie, my dream has always been for more people to watch it. I feel these festivals, awards, Oscar, all these are the milestones through the journey but our ultimate goal is to reach people."

He added, "I'm sure with a movie like ours, Oscar will be important to get worldwide recognition but at the same time, it's a challenge, it's a tough competition where luck is also required. On October 14, if we reach a wider audience in India we know our goal is already accomplished...Oscar will be two-three months later. I would be more than happy knowing that more Indian people are watching the movie and realizing the stories can hold substance, stories can be honest, stories can move you without having a big star or studio backup." "But I also know if there is an Oscar entry attached to a film, it will bring more audience, more people will be talking about it and it'll get a wider release because everyone's confidence in the film grows, it is a fact we cannot deny," director Pan Nalin said.

READ: Director Pan Nalin opens up on sharp reactions to Chhello Show being India's entry to Oscars, not RRR | Exclusive

He further said, "I think it's a pretty complex question -- why we should be so obsessed with Oscar? It's a question which will always remain because Hollywood is a popular film industry worldwide. But we also should not forget Hollywood has less than 10% market in India, probably the only country on the planet where Hollywood has not managed to penetrate."

Towards the end of the conversation, when we asked the director-producer duo how would they be impacted if the film went on to win an Oscar, Dheer was prompt to reply, "It will give us more faith and hope in our own work and drive our confidence to continue telling the kind of stories that we want to." He added, "Obviously we'll be really proud and happy if we make the nation proud and bring home the Oscar, and that's what we aim to do with our international partners, Orange Studio and Samuel Goldwyn Films."

Pan Nalin said, "It'll solidify my confidence in the kind of cinema I've been making for two decades. For me, it'll be a reassurance that I keep doing the kind of cinema I'm doing whether we win or not."

"I am very happy to work with stars, non-actors, as far as they can believe in the kind of cinema I want to do. I have never differentiated between Indie filmmaker and arthouse, I hate those terms. I've always said that cinema is commerce, however, you like it. It has to commercial sense and within that commercial sense if you can do something artistic, cinematic, and sell it to the world, and let people watch it, it's already your greatest award," he added.

"And I think with Last Film Show, look at where we are today. Forget the Oscar, which Indian's regional film, which is made by a bunch of producers who are all below 30 years, the crew is below 30 years, the kids are all between 8 to 12, has got such international recognition already? I think that already speaks a lot. That is one of the big awards we already have," Pan Nalin concluded.