Sushil Rao’s ‘Oscar Challagariga’ wins award at Mumbai Short Film Festival

HYDERABAD: Oscar Challagariga, a documentary produced and directed by Chilkuri Sushil Rao, received a Special Mention award at the 12th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival, held in Mumbai on December 10, 2023.

The jury included both Indian and international film personalities.

Kanukuntla Subhash Chandrabose, the lyricist who won the Oscar for best original song at the 95th Academy Awards, is the subject of the documentary.

Rambhul Singh, founder-director of Mini Box Office, which organised the festival announced the list of award winners on Sunday evening after the screenings were held. The jury included both Indian and international film personalities.

The documentary is about lyricist Kanukuntla Subhash Chandrabose who won the Oscar for best original song in the 95th Academy Awards.

The documentary depicts the atmosphere and celebrations in his village "Challagariga" in the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district of Telangana, India, which he visited for the first time after winning the Oscar on April 2, 2023. He discusses how much effort it takes to achieve something in life.

The documentary "Oscar Challagariga" was shot by Chinthala Thirupathi. The documentary captures the celebratory mood in Challagairi with hundreds of villagers coming together to shower their love on the son of the soil Chandrabose.

The highlight of the documentary is also an impromptu dance by Chandrabose’s wife, Suchitra, who herself is a well-known choreographer.

It was the first time that an Indian production won an Oscar in the ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023. The award was presented to Lyricist Kanukuntla Subhash Chadrabose and music director M M Keeravani for the song “Naatu Naatu” from Telugu film “RRR” directed by S S Rajamouli.