Nayattu among India's entries for Oscars shortlist

The jury screening process for selecting India's entries for the upcoming Oscar nominations is in progress at Kolkata by the Film Federation of India. Shaji N Karun is the jury chairman.

Among the Malayalam films, Martin Prakkat's Nayattu is the official selection. It joins other Indian entries such as Yogi Babu-starrer Mandela (Tamil), Vidya Balan-starrer Sherni (Hindi), and Vicky Kaushal-starrer Sardhar Uddham (Hindi).

A list of 14 films was compiled by a 15-member jury. The shortlisted film will be nominated for an Oscar on March 24, 2022. A film submitted for an Oscar entry will only be eligible for the award if it finds a place on the nomination list.

Scripted by Shahi Kabir, Nayattu is a haunting survival thriller featuring Kunchacko Boban, Joju George, and Nimisha Sajayan as three police officers on the run after getting involved in an alarming incident with far-reaching consequences.

Shyju Khalid lensed the film while Mahesh Narayanan and Rajesh Rajendran edited it. Vishnu Vijay composed the music.

Martin Prakkat jointly produced it with Ranjith and P Sasidharan's Gold Coin Motion Picture Company.

Recently, the film was named the official selection at the 20th edition of the Swedish International Film Festival (2021) and the 20th edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival (2022).

Last year, Jallikattu, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, was picked as India's official entry to the Oscars. However, it could not secure a place on the nomination list.