'Chhello Show' director breaks silence on claims of film being a copy of 'Cinema Paradiso'

Gujarati film Chhello Show  (Last Film Show) has piqued cinema lovers' curiosity after becoming India's official entry to the Oscars 2023. The movie left behind SS Rajamouli's much-celebrated magnum opus RRR and Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files, which were taken to be the top contenders in the Oscars race. 

Allegations about Chhello Show being a copy of the Italian film Cinema Paradiso have also emerged, with the film's director Pan Nalin finally breaking his silence on the same. In a now-deleted Tweet, Nalin shared the same side-by-side comparison of the posters and urged audiences to find out the truth as the film hits theatres on October 14. 

Chhello Show director reacts to allegations of film being a copy of Cinema Paradiso

Taking to his Twitter handle on Sunday, September 25, Pan Nalin wrote," Copy? Homage? Inspiration? Original? Find out yourself on 14.10.2022 in cinemas near you. Power to the people, let them decide.” Actor Niilam Paanchal posted the director's now-deleted Tweet on her Instagram handle and wrote, "We are eagerly waiting, sir." Take a look. 

This comes after many netizens posted similar-looking posters of Chhello Show and Cinema Paradiso, both featuring a young boy looking at a film reel, claiming that the Oscars entry was a copy of the 1988 flick. For the unversed, Cinema Paradiso bagged the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and also won five BAFTA Awards. 

Chhello Show follows a young boy, who spends the entire summer watching movies and becomes an ardent cinema lover. It stars Bhavin Rabari, Vikas Bata, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval and Rahul Koli in pivotal roles. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and will be released in the Indian theatres on October 14. Roy Kapur Films has been acquired as a distributor for the territory. 

Shedding light on the inspiration behind the project, Nalin told PTI last year, "It has reconnected me with my roots. I wanted to tell a story about kids who grow up in the countryside and how they start innovating to create their own kind of cinema, storytelling. Nothing stops these kids. When you have nothing, nothing should stop you."

(IMAGE: INSTAGRAM/ @PAN.NALIN/ @BERLINFILMSOC)