iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The Malayalam film ‘2018’, based on the rains and flood that hit Kerala has been selected as India’s official entry for Oscar 2024. The film, a survival drama – 2018: Everyone is a Hero – has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, making it only the fourth film from the language to be selected for this category.
A poignant portrayal of the Kerala floods, the film directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, stars Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain, and Lal. 2018 was released in May this year and is considered a critical and box office hit. It is also one of the highest-earning Malayalam films of all time and one of Indian cinema’s top earners this year.
Jude Anthany Joseph, the director of the film said that the nomination is “as good as winning the Oscar”. “I just do not know how happy I am as the news of its selection shocked me. This is God’s blessing,” said Joseph.
The film became an instant hit with the masses as it showcased the struggles of families, pregnant women, elderly people, and the masses during the calamity that hit Kerala in 2018. The film also became one of the biggest grossers of all time for the Malayalam film industry, at a time when the film theatres in Kerala were facing a crisis as a majority of films failed to generate much response at the box office.
“The response to the film after its release was in itself a big recognition and now comes this news. Each and every person who played a part in the film had worked really hard as such were the conditions. Am thankful to God and am feeling really happy. I dedicate this moment to the people of Kerala and India,” added Joseph.
Last year, Pan Nalin’s semi-autobiographical Gujarati drama Chhello Show (Last Film Show) was selected for this year’s Oscars. While the film was shortlisted, it didn’t get nominated. Nevertheless, India bagged the Best Documentary Short Film for The Elephant Whisperers, and ‘Naatu Naatu’ from RRR won the Best Music (Original Song) award.
Tovino Thomas, one of the lead actors in ‘2018’, said in an Instagram live, that the entire crew had put in a lot of effort to pull off the film despite many constraints. “The nomination will take the message of the unity of Kerala’s people depicted in the film to the world,” he said.
