A pebble in the sky

An Oscar might be a long shot, but Koozhangal has a fighting chance

Every year, during the interval preceding the Academy Awards, the discourse you will find on social media, especially among film writers and filmmakers, paints a pretty grim picture about the urgency to be appropriated by the West. It is a testament to an empty gabfest, since most of these are pointless with seldom positive outcomes.

The discourse is equally tiring, for it invariably begins with divided opinions on how the Oscars are just a PR machinery and not an ultimate test of standard for international cinema. But somehow, these eloquent ramblings end with infighting over India’s submissions.

The Tamil indie feature Koozhangal (Pebbles) was unanimously picked by the jury members as India’s . Shaji N. Karun, who chaired the jury, stated that they chose Koozhangal for its “cinematic achievement”. In contrast, at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2021, where the film had its world premiere and bagged the coveted Tiger Award, the jury members explained it better, calling it “pure cinema”.