Pan Nalin is currently in news for his Gujarati film ‘Chhello Show’ (‘Last Film Show’ in English), which has been selected as India’s official entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the 95th Academy Awards. Best known for directing award-winning and visually striking films such as ‘Samsara’, ‘Valley Of Flowers’, ‘Angry Indian Goddesses’ and ‘Ayurveda: Art Of Being’ in the past, Nalin’s latest work is a part-autobiographical drama that captures the charm of the western region of Gujarat while paying homage to the cinema of the past.
Talking about if the pandemic has given rise to the regional cinema to the global platform, Nalin says that “there is no such formula to focus on the global audience because if your movie is great, it naturally is universal. All good stories are universal, be it in the form of a movie or a show. But yes this is certainly a great time for honest storytellers.”
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‘Last Film Show’ (‘Chhello Show’) had its world premiere as the opening film at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival and has won multiple awards across various international film festivals, including the Golden Spike at the 66th Valladolid Film Festival in Spain.
The film stars Bhavin Rabari, Vikas Bata, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval, and Rahul Koli. The story is set against the backdrop of cinemas in India witnessing a massive transition from celluloid to digital, where hundreds of single-screen cinemas stand dilapidated or have disappeared altogether.
The director says that 'Last Film Show' is the “purest and honest form of storytelling purely driven by human emotions and the power of dreams. Its central theme of Films, Food, Friends, and Family will speak to the vast majority of people across India as it has already done abroad.”
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In the past, he expressed his excitement about receiving a nomination to the Academy Awards. “I could have never imagined such a day would come and bring light and celebration of light. ‘Chhello Show’ has been enjoying love from around the world but there was an ache in my heart. How do I make India discover it? Now I can breathe again and believe in cinema that entertains, inspires, and enlightens! Thank you FFI, Thank you Jury,” he says.
Talking about what comes next after ‘The Last Film Show’, he says “Many projects are in the works, I will announce something very soon.”
Having captured the hearts of critics and audiences across the world the Gujarati-language coming-of-age drama will have a countrywide release on October 14. However, considering the massive buzz around the title, the makers of 'The Last Film Show' (Chhello Show) are releasing the film on the Last shows of Thursday, October 13. It will open across 95 cinemas at a ticket price of Rs. 95!
This is a welcome initiative by the makers to bring the film to the widest possible audience at an affordable price, all a day in advance.
