Chhello Show director Pan Nalin takes dig at RRR? Says ‘we don’t have money machine behind us’

Chhello Show (Last Film Show) director Pan Nalin has said that his team doesn’t have a ‘money machine behind’ them and is ‘relying on strength’ of the film while responding to a question on RRR. In a new interview, Pan Nalin said that people ‘talk about glamour and big stars more’ as he spoke about SS Rajamouli’s RRR. Recently, Chhello Show was selected as India’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards. (Also Read | Chhello Show trailer: India’s Oscar entry is Pan Nalin’s love letter to cinema)

The Film Federation of India (FFI) made the announcement last month. According to FFI president TP Aggarwal, Chhello Show was unanimously chosen over films such as RRR, Brahmastra, The Kashmir Files and Rocketry. The film will release in theatres countrywide on October 14.

When told that people think RRR has an edge over Chhello Show as US critics liked the film, Pan Nalin told Indian Express, “In our country, media and people talk about the 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.”

Pan Nalin also spoke about submitting Chhello Show to the FFI as India’s Oscar entry in 2021 but not getting picked. He said, “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.”

Recently, actor Lakshmi Manchu hosted the preview screening of the Chhello Show in Hyderabad. Taking to Twitter, Lakshmi shared several pictures from the screening. She wrote, “Honoured! to host the exclusive preview screening of the India’s official Oscar movie #lastfilmshow. It was a great interaction with #PanNalin & #dheermomaya and whole team of Last Film Show.” She added the hashtags Oscar nomination, Chhello Show, Hyderabad, Roy Kapur films, and Orange Studio.

RRR follows the fictional tale of two Indian freedom fighters from the early 20th century–Alluri Sitarama, played by Ram Charan and Komaram Bheem, played by Jr NTR. It also stars Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in pivotal roles. RRR, which was released globally on March 25, has been garnering international acclaim.