SS Rajamouli says 'everyone felt RRR had bigger chance’ for Oscars than Chhello Show: ‘It is disappointing...’

SS Rajamouli’s RRR was widely considered to be India’s best bet at the Oscars this year. Many thought it was a foregone conclusion that the film would be India’s official entry for the Academy Awards. In the end, it lost out to Gujarati film Chhello Show (also known as Last Film Show) in a move that divided many.

RRR is still in the Oscars race though, having submitted its candidature across all categories. In the Best Foreign Film Category, however, Chhello Show is the Indian representative. Recently, SS Rajamouli weighed in on the controversy and what it was like missing out on a chance to be India’s official Oscars entry.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “Yeah, it is disappointing. But we are not the kind of people who would sit and brood on why it didn’t happen. What has happened has happened and we should go forward with it. But I am happy because it (Chhello Show) is also an Indian film and it has also been shortlisted for Oscars. I’m quite happy for it. Of course, everyone knew RRR had a much bigger chance. Here (in the US) everyone felt RRR had a bigger chance.”

RRR, starring Jr NTR and Ram Charan, is a fictionalized tale of two real-life revolutionaries. The period action-drama minted over Rs 1100 crore worldwide and was a critical success as well. It found fame in the West upon its digital release on Netflix and then became a cult classic there, winning praise from Hollywood stalwarts like James Gunn and Danny DeVito.

RRR is a prime contender for the Oscars having won a number of awards in the run-up to the big night, including a Golden Globe for Best Original Song (for Naatu Naatu), a first for any Indian film.