Tamil movie Koozhangal, which translates to pebbles, has been the star all along. The movie was chosen as India’s entry for the international feature film category at the Academy Awards. A 15-member selection committee set up by the Film Federation of India came to this decision. The final entry was announced by the chairperson of the committee, Shaji N Karun.
Here are a few things we bet you didn’t know about Koozhangal:
The story follows the journey of a father-son duo, Ganapathy (Karuththadaiyaan) and Velu (Chella Pandi). They are headed towards Ganapathy’s estranged wife’s house to bring her back. The plot isn’t as simple as it sounds. More than their journey and the relationship they hold, it talks about poverty-stricken areas and lives where getting access to something as basic as water is denied.
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Koozhangal is PS Vinothraj‘s directorial debut. The movie is based on his sister’s experience She was kicked out of her husband’s house and had to walk 13 kilometres to reach her house.
The film bagged the prestigious Tiger Award 2021, the top honour at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Among 16 indie titles from across the world, Koozhangal managed to strike a chord. It is the first Tamil film and the second Indian film (after Sanal Kumar’s S Durga) to win such an award. The Tiger Award comes with prize money of €40,000 (INR 34,80,160), equally split between the filmmaker and producer.
The film was shot during the summers near Melur in Madurai. Every day for 30 days, the crew and actors shot between 10 am to 3 pm to maintain the authenticity of the film. Madurai’s scorching heat had to be captured in its ideal element for the movie to embrace the dry sentiment.
It was initially backed by Learn and Teach Production. Actor Nayanthara and filmmaker Vignesh Sivan, the founders of Rowdy Pictures, happen to come across the half-shot footage of the film. They were immediately moved by it and decided that Koozhangal would be Rowdy Pictures’ first production.
Chellapandi and Karuththadaiyaan, the co-actors in the film, are newcomers. They have managed to raise the bar with their acting prowess. This Oscar entry will definitely boost their career trajectory in the film industry.
Hopefully, this film might hit theatres in December. The 94th Oscars is slated to be held on March 27, 2022, in Los Angeles. Let’s hope Koozhangal makes India hella proud.
