#India’sOscarEntry/ We are determined to give 2018 a fighting chance at the Oscars: Venu Kunnappilly

Producer Venu Kunnappilly is super excited about his Malayalam film 2018 being declared India’s official entry for the Oscars. “It feels like a huge achievement. As it is, the film has been a record breaker at the box office, but we did not even imagine an honour such as this selection while making the movie. It has come as an amazing surprise, especially because it has been picked from among hundreds of films from different regional industires, and several that were made on much bigger budgets,” the Dubai-based producer told us over the phone.

The announcement that the Jude Anthany Joseph directorial had been selected was made yesterday by veteran filmmaker and chairman of the selection committee Girish Kasaravalli, who noted that the film was picked for its theme of climate change and how it is affecting people. The film, which features Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban and Asif Ali, is loosely based on incidents from the devastating Kerala floods of 2018.

Venu says that the team has high hopes of making a mark at the Academy Awards. “Now, it will be quite a journey in taking a shot at the Oscars. The film has to run at the theatres there to ensure that the Academy committee members watch the movie. We must explain the movie's milieu to them, have it featured in the magazines there and so on. It will be expensive, but we are determined to give 2018 a fighting chance. This is a rare opportunity for Malayalam cinema,” he says.

Jude had said that the idea of making the film, a survival thriller and emotional drama with the tagline ‘Everyone Is a Hero’, had given him sleepless nights. Venu, who bankrolled the film along with CK Padma Kumar and Anto Joseph, agrees that it was a daunting task. “Not everyone would be willing to make a film on this scale,” he says. “But I liked the idea of taking the risk and Jude’s confidence spurred me on. Anyway, the outcome is beyond our dreams.”