Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show is now playing in theatres across Spain

Pan Nalin’s Chhello Show (Last Film Show) is now playing in theatres across Spain. The Gujarati film, the first to be dubbed entirely in Spanish, opened on 18 March as La Ultima Pelicula.

Chhello Show had its world premiere in the Spotlight section of Tribeca Festival last June. It is also to be released in other countries including Germany, Israel, Taiwan and eventually, India. The Indo-French co-production, represented by UGC and ORANGE Studio, has already picked up a number of awards at a few international film festivals such as Tribeca, Seminci and Mill Valley.

The semi-autobiographical film is an ode to the magic of cinema, seen through the eyes of a young boy Samay (Bhavin Rabari) in the remote village of Saurashtra in Gujarat. The young boy’s lifelong love affair with cinema is sparked when he bribes his way into a rundown movie palace and spends all his time watching movies from the projection booth.

Language will no longer be a barrier, says filmmaker Pan Nalin

The filmmaker Pan Nalin is known for Samsara (2001), Valley Of Flowers (2006) and Angry Indian Goddesses (2015).

Speaking about his latest project, he said, “When we were making the film, we didn’t realize that the world would go this way. The film celebrates the big-screen experience of going to cinema halls and watching a film with family and friends, which is irreplaceable.”

“The disappearance of India's single-screen culture and 35mm celluloid film largely forms the backdrop of Last Film Show,” Dheer Momaya, co-founder of Jugaad Motion Pictures and producer of the film, said. “The film has been released at a time when the film industry globally is witnessing the death of the 35mm format. The new formats have opened doors for storytellers, and films like Last Film Show have the potential to connect with audiences globally, breaking all language barriers.”

Momaya added, “Pan Nalin’s origin story was so fascinating that I was convinced it had to be told. Most writers and directors in India come from some sort of cultural/economically endowed backgrounds and have had access to the basics of education and exposure to film, even if it was just the ability to watch them, from a very young age. For Nalin it was quite the opposite, he was watching and making movies in his head before he even knew about the existence of cinema.”

“Moreover, while this is a personal reflection of his life experiences, the themes explored through the story are quite universal,” he continued. “Last Film Show is a celebration of cinema, more than just a love letter. It accentuates the nostalgia that most of us feel about our relationship with the theatrical experience. It reminds me of the first time I watched a film in the cinema, and the astonishing wonder I was left with. Something, we have come to take for granted in the digital age”.

The rest of the cast includes Bhavesh Shrimali as the projectionist Fazal, Richa Meena as Samay’s mother, Dipen Raval as Samay’s father, Paresh Mehta, Vikas Bata, Rahul Koli, Shoban Makwa, Kishan Parmar, Vijay Mer, Alpesh Tank and Tia Sebastien.