The Malayalam film ‘Jallikattu’, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, has been selected as India’s official entry for the International Feature Film category at the 93rd Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced on Wednesday.
‘Jallikattu’, which was unanimously chosen from 27 entries in Hindi, Marathi and other languages, is about a tribe of men who come together to stop a bull that has gone mad in their village.
“There were a total of 27 films that participated in the Hindi, Malayalam and Marathi run. The film that has been nominated by the jury to represent India at the Oscars is the Malayalam film ‘Jallikattu’. It is a film that really stands out. The raw problems that exist in humans, that is, we are worse than animals, “filmmaker Rahul Rawail, chairman of the jury of the Indian Film Federation, told reporters at an online press conference.
The film, which derives its name from the popular but controversial southern bull taming event, is based on a Hareesh tale. It features actors Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad, and Santhy Balachandran. Among the films that were considered by the jury are titles such as “Chhapaak”, “Shakuntala Devi”, “Chhalaang”, “Gulabo Sitabo”, “Eeb Allay Ooo!”, “The Sky is Pink”, “Bulbbul and internationally- famous characteristic “The disciple”. Calling Pellissery a “very competent director”, known for several critically acclaimed films such as “Angamaly Diaries” and “Ea Ma Yau”, Rawail said that “Jallikattu” is a production the country should be proud of.
“The entire movie is about an animal that has gone mad in a butcher shop. The movie has been beautifully rendered and shot very well. The emotion that arises really moved us all to be selected,” said the president. . ‘Jallikattu’ premiered in September 2019 at the Toronto International Film Festival and received great critical acclaim.
The film was especially praised for Pellissery’s spectacular directing effort, ably supported by Girish Gangadharan’s cinematography and Renganaath Ravee’s wild sound design work. Pellissery also won the best director trophy at the 50th India International Film Festival last year.
In 2019, Zoya Akhtar’s “Gully Boy” starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt was India’s entry to the Oscars.
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