Chhello Show actor Bhavin Rabari says he didn’t know what Oscars are: ‘Watching films is rare for us’

Chhello Show’s selection as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards sparked numerous debates, but the film’s lead actor was unaware of what all the fuss was all about for the longest time. Bhavin Rabari, who plays nine-year-old Samay in the Pan Nalin directorial, said he did not know what the Oscars were until he received a call telling him that the film has been India’s official entry to the prestigious awards. Also Read| India’s Oscar entry Chhello Show child actor Rahul Koli dies of cancer

Chhello Show, titled Last Film Show in English, follows Bhavin’s Samay from a village in Saurashtra, Gujarat, as he becomes mesmerised with cinema after spending an entire summer watching films. In real life, Bhavin keeps far from the world of films and doesn’t even enjoy watching them too much.

Bhavin told Indian Express about the film’s Oscars entry, “I just acted in the film. I didn’t know what Oscars are. A long time after we finished the film, I came to know about Oscars. I was told, ‘The film has been selected for Oscars.’ That’s when I came to know what the Oscars are. I don’t get to watch too many films, so I didn’t know how important this is. Nalin sir informed us about it over a phone call.”

Bhavin, who hails from the Rabari tribal community in Gujarat, added, “Watching films is rare for us. I don’t even enjoy it much, but I’ve started liking watching films little little. I go to school and return home in the afternoon and then roam around in the farm, take my cattle to graze, so I didn’t know much about all this.”

Chhello Show premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June last year, and is scheduled to release in theatres in India on October 14. Bhavin’s co-star in the film, Rahul Koli, one of the six child actors in the film, died of cancer at the age of 10 on October 2. His father Ramu Koli told the Times of India that the family will watch Chhello Show together after performing Rahul’s last rites.