RRR, the Indian film that broke records and went on to become hugely popular in the US after its debut on Netflix, has been snubbed for the Oscars in India. The Film Federation of India (FFI) has instead unanimously selected the Gujarathi film ‘Chhello Show’ for the Oscars. But this does not necessarily mean the Rajamouli directorial is completely out of the Oscar race.
RRR not being India’s selection to the Oscars means that it will not represent the country in the Best International Feature category at the upcoming 95th Academy Awards. However, this is a very small mishap in the larger scheme of things. The love RRR has received from the US population is unlike anything an Indian film has seen before. This has empowered RRR’s US distributor Variance Films to campaign for the film in full force, irrespective of the snub by FFI.
Variance Films president Dylan Marchetti, who is running the campaign for the SS Rajamouli directorial in the US told IndieWire:
“The only thing this news changes, is one less award we can go after.” He added, “There’s a dozen-plus other we can go for now. This film is the whole package.”
And that just sums sit up perfectly.
While ‘Chhelo Show’ will compete in the Best International Feature category, RRR will be campaigning for a spot in the Best Picture category. Marchetti also added that the film has a chance in the Best Original Song (“Naatu Naatu”) category along with director, screenplay, cinematography, production design, editing, and a few other categories.
This comes as a huge relief to fans who were upset that the film was not selected despite even international magazines listing RRR as a serious contender for Best Picture and actors NTR Jr. and Ram Charan for the Best Actor category. The rumors of ‘Chhelo Show’ being inspired by the Italian-French production ‘Cinema Paradiso’ only added fuel to the fire.
Rajamouli and Marchetti are reportedly ensuring that the voters watch the film as the immersive theatrical experience it was envisioned to be. The film is not yet available on the Academy Streaming Room, which according to Variety is part of a strategy to get as many voters to see it on the big screen to highlight its epic scale and breathtaking visuals.
The snub has reminded people of the injustice done to ‘Lunchbox’ and other films in the past. RRR is everything Indian cinema is known for: dances, drama, action, and a celebration of life in general. If RRR wins, it will be a wake-up call to the FFI. It is high time we put the best of India forward unabashedly instead of sending films that we think will appeal more to the voters’ sensibilities. And then what? Let the art do the talking.
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