How Bhavin Rabari, child actor of Chhello Show found out about the Oscars

Bhavin Rabari, the lead actor of Chhello Show, was not aware of what the Oscars are. The movie is selected as the official entry of Academy Awards 2023. Bhavin, who plays Samar, a nine-year-old boy, did not know about the prestigious award till he was informed on a call that the film is nominated for the Oscars.

Also Read | Indian Oscar entry Chhello Show’s child actor Rahul Koli dies of cancer

Chhello Show, translated to Last Film Show in English, narrates the tale of Samar, portrayed by Bhavin, who gets obsessed with cinema after spending a whole summer seeing movies. The reality is quite the opposite, however, as Bhavin stays away from the world of films and is not even much fond of viewing them. 

Bhavin added that he just acted in the film and was unaware of what the Oscars are about, The Indian Express reported. He found out about what the Oscars are long after the film was made.

“I was told, ‘The film has been selected for the Oscars.’ That’s when I came to know what the Oscars are. I don’t get to watch too many films, so I didn’t know how important this is.” He further added that their director, Pan Nalin, informed them about the selection over a phone call.

Bhavin, who belongs to the Rabari tribal community in Gujarat, further said that watching films is very rare for them and he does not enjoy watching them much. “…but I’ve started liking watching films little little”, he added.

Bhavin said that he goes to school every day and returns in the afternoon after which he takes his cattle out to graze and in the middle of all this, he does not get to watch films much. 

Also Read | 7 unknown facts about Amitabh Bachchan

Chhello Show premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021 and is scheduled to be released in Indian theaters on October 14. Rahul Koli, one of the six child actors in the film and Bhavin’s co-star, died of cancer on October 2 at the age of ten. After completing Rahul’s death rituals, his father Ramu Koli told the Times of India that the family would watch Chhello Show together.