Chhello Show director Pan Nalin talks about the exhibition sector; says, ‘ India can be very hard on movies without stars, studios or streamers’ – Times of India

Describing the set ways of India’s exhibition sector, Nalin said to HT that India can be very hard on movies which are without any stars, studios or streamers. “The exhibition sector always underestimates Indian audiences, and the year 2022 has been big proof of that. I have always believed that the audiences are smarter than the filmmaker, if they are given the opportunity to watch films like Chhello Show, they will embrace it — but the film must come to a cinema near them,” he was quoted saying.


Nevertheless, Nalin is overjoyed that his lesser known film has been shortlisted by the Academy’s panel of judges, despite minimal screening time in Indian theatres. The film premiered at the 20th Tribeca Film Festival on 10 June, 2021 and was theatrically released in India on 14 October, 2022.

Chhello Show is making waves abroad, however the tragedy is that it takes some special Indian films, in this case a Gujarati film, to be recognised internationally before viewers sit up and take notice back home.

The film stars child as well as adult actors in lead and pivotal roles, including Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval and Paresh Mehta. This is a coming-of-age drama that chronicles a child’s obsession with watching films during an entire summer from the projection booth of a rundown movie place. What follows is heartbreak and a rollercoaster sequence of events, once his conservative parents find out what he and his friends are up to, when they should be doing more worthwhile things. In spite of that, the films he watches inspire the boy to become a future filmmaker.

The director points out that this is a simple film with “pure entertainment” and “top-notch production quality” and that is what has struck a chord with the audiences and the Oscar panel of judges. It’s a film about hope, despite difficult challenges and dark times.