Unbridled joy, and vindication — that’s what Pan Nalin felt as Chhello Show (Last Film Show) was shortlisted in the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards, on Thursday. The road to here hasn’t been easy. When the semi-autobiographical film about a nine-year-old’s movie dreams was selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars, in September, the director’s joy was short-lived as the choice faced severe backlash.

“That moment soon turned sad [as we faced] baseless allegations, and trolling. The worst was the cyber attack prior to our film’s release. My team was threatened with warnings: ‘Oscars mein se film nikaal, nahin toh achcha nahin hoga’. Instead of celebrating and campaigning in the US, we were busy fighting this [vitriol] for three to four weeks,” recounts Nalin.

Many then felt that S S Rajamouli’s blockbuster RRR deserved to be submitted as India’s entry over the Gujarati film chosen by the Film Federation of India (FFI) jury. The director says that the tide started turning after Chhello Show was released in theatres, and subsequently, streamed on Netflix.

“When the Indian audience, film critics and industry folks finally watched the movie, they could not stop themselves from falling in love with it. In the end, the power of cinema won,” he beams.

At the Oscars, Chhello Show will compete with 14 other movies — including South Korea’s Decision To Leave, Belgium’s Close, and Germany’s All Quiet on the Western Front — to advance to the nominations. Producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Dheer Momaya intend to amp up the film’s campaign by organising numerous screenings. “We must continue showing the film, and hope to [take it] to the next stage,” says Momaya.

The Academy members seem to have deeply connected with the movie. Kapur says, “It takes people back to that first moment of wonder, when they [first] watched a movie. Also, in a land of more than a billion dreams, this boy is so resilient [about] achieving his dream. People are taking back that sense of hope.”

- Naatu Naatu from RRR has been shortlisted for the Best Original Song.

- All That Breathes, which focuses on Delhi’s air pollution, is in the running for the Best Documentary.

-  The Elephant Whisperers, revolving around an Indian couple and a baby elephant,  is shortlisted for the Best Documentary Short Film.

Siddharth Roy Kapur and Pan Nalin