Oscars 2023: RRR's Naatu Naatu, The Last Show Shortlisted For Academy Awards

It’s a huge day for India and Indian cinema as not just one but four films have been shortlisted for nominations for the Oscars. The voting for the final nominations will take place between January 12-14, and The Academy will announce the nominations on January 24.

The 95th Academy Awards shortlist included four films from India in the category of Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Original Song. The Awards are set to take place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, United States on March 12, 2023.

Indian Films Shortlisted For Oscars

Best Feature Film International

The much-anticipated film The Chello Show, also popularly called The Last Film Show, has advanced in the best feature film category. Directed by Pan Nalin, the film is competing with fourteen other films in the international category. Produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Dheer Momaya, the movie is part of the international feature film shortlist line-up.

The team of "Chhello Show" said they are humbled and overjoyed that their heartfelt ode to the cinematic medium has been recognised by the Academy. "Ever since our selection by the Film Federation of India as India's Official Entry to the 95th Oscars, we knew in our hearts that the film was bound for something special," Kapur, Momaya and Nalin said in a joint statement.

Best Original Song

The Alia Bhatt, Ram Charan Teja and Jr NTR starter RRR has been shortlisted in the best original song category. The song popular song ‘Naatu Naatu’ is among the 15 shortlisted songs at the Academy.

With this, Naatu Naatu has become the first Indian song to be shortlisted for the Academy Awards. The track was composed by MM Keeravaani and penned by Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj. SS Rajamouli’s pan-India film follows a pre-independence fictional story woven around two real-life Indian revolutionaries - Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Jr NTR) - in the 1920s. This is the third major international nomination for 'Naatu Naatu'. Earlier, RRR secured two spots in the nomination list for the Golden Globe Awards 2023. RRR was nominated in two categories, Best Picture - Non-English Language and Original Song - Motion Picture.

Best Documentary

Shaunak Sen’s acclaimed documentary All That Breathes is vying for a spot in the top five of the best documentary feature category. The Delhi-based movie follows two siblings, Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have devoted their lives to rescuing and treating injured birds, especially the Black Kites. All That Breathes has been a film festival favourite previously winning the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Kartiki Gonsalves' documentary The Elephant Whisperers depicts an unbreakable bond between two abandoned elephants and their caretakers. It is produced by Oscar winner Guneet Monga of Period. End of Sentence fame.

Suggested Reading: Know The Cast of Chhello Show: India’s Official Entry To 2023 Oscars