Gujarati coming-of-age drama "Chhello Show" is India's official entry for the 95th Academy Awards, the Film Federation of India (FFI) announced on Tuesday. Titled "Last Film Show" in English, the movie, directed by Pan Nalin, will release in theatres countrywide on October 14.

"'Chhello Show' is India's official entry for Oscars 2023," FFI Secretary General Supran Sen said.

The film, which will represent the country in the best international feature film category at the Oscars, is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur's banner Roy Kapur Films, Jugaad Motion Pictures, Monsoon Films, Chhello Show LLP, and Marc Duale.

The story is inspired by Nalin's own memories of falling in love with movies as a child in rural Gujarat. Set in a remote rural village of Saurashtra, the film follows the story of a nine-year-old boy who begins a lifelong love affair with cinema when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace and spends a summer watching movies from the projection booth.
Chhello Show, which features Bhavin Rabari, Bhavesh Shrimali, Richa Meena, Dipen Raval and Paresh Mehta, had its world premiere as the opening film at the Tribeca Film Festival in June last year.