Malayalam film 2018 is India official entry for the Oscars

Agencies,New Delhi, Sept. 29: The Malayalam-language survival drama 2018, starring Tovino Thomas and directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, has been selected by the Film Federation of India as the country’s official entry to the Oscars. 

The film was a blockbuster hit when it was released in the theaters. 

The news of ‘2018’ getting picked was announced by filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, chairman of the Film Federation of India’s (FFI) selection committee. He mentioned how the film was selected because of its theme of climate change and the challenges people face amid the ongoing development in society. 

The list of 22 films which were screened included Sudipto Sen’s ‘The Kerala Story’, Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, and Rani Mukherjee’s ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’ (Hindi) along with ‘Balagam’ (Telugu); ‘Vaalvi’, ‘Baaplyok’ (Marathi), and ‘August 16, 1947’ (Tamil). Finally, Tovino Thomas’ superhit film ‘2018’ was chosen from the lot. 

Meanwhile, after India’s official entry to Oscars 2024 was confirmed, the film’s actor Kunchacko Boban told India Today, “It’s a moment of pride for us. It was wonderful shooting for it and the film broke all records. Globally, 2018 was lauded by people and broke many milestones. It documented the emotions of the people, which is why it was relatable to many. Since it is a real story, it managed to reach a wider audience,” Boban said. 

He added that the film is not just the story, but it is technically strong as well. “It is a film that deserves the honour. I can’t explain my happiness right now. 2018 is a film that deserves to be placed in the Oscars 2024 race,” he said.

 ‘2018’ directed by Jude Anthony Joseph, is a survival drama based on the 2018 Kerala floods that devastated Kerala. It stars Tovino Thomas, Aparna Balamurali, Tanvi Ram, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain and Lal in key roles, and soon became the highest earning Malayalam film of all time.