‘Jallikattu’ Is India’s Official Entry for the Oscars 2021
Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu is India’s official Oscar entry.
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On Wednesday the Film Federation of India announced that Malayalam film Jallikattu will be India's official entry at Oscars in the International Feature Film category. Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery released in 2019 and was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was also screened at the 24th Busan International Film Festival.
The main storyline of Jallikattu revolves around a wild buffalo that breaks loose and creates havoc in a village in Kerala. The film is an adaptation of writer S Hareesh’s short story Maoist.
India’s Oscar entry was selected by the FFI’s committee headed by filmmaker Rahul Rawail. Speaking about the selection of Jallikattu, Rawail said, “It brings out the raw problems that are there in human beings. The emotions that came up really moved all of us. We felt that this is a unique ensemble of characters and locations.”
Other films in the running for an official entry from India included Shoojit Sircar’s Gulabo Sitabo, Hansal Mehta’s Chaalaang, Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple, Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Shikara, Geethu Mohandas’s Moothon, Nila Madhab Panda’s Kalira Atita, Anvita Dutt’s Bulbbul, Hardik Mehta’s Kaamyaab, and Satyanshu and Devanshu Singh’s Chintu Ka Birthday.
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