Fact Check: News Of Odia Film ‘Kalira Atita’ In Oscars Race As Claimed By Nila Madhav Panda - FAKE

The news of Odia film Kalira Atita making an entry into the Oscars race has swept the internet with Odias all over the world applauding this glorious moment. However, as it turns out, the claim of Nila Madhav Panda that his film has made it into the Oscar Race is false and misleading.

Here is the truth, the fiasco started when filmmaker Nila Madhva Panda wrote on Twitter about his film making its entry into the Oscar race in various general entry categories. He wrote in his tweet, “In a year full of challenges, feel extremely happy to announce #KaliraAtita has made its entry into the Oscar race in general entry category 4 Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director & many other categories. It’s being made available for academy screening, Grateful to everyone”

In a year full of challenges, feel extremely happy to announce #KaliraAtita has made its entry into the Oscar race in general entry category 4 best picture, Best Actor, Best Director & many other categories. It's being made available for academy screening, Grateful to everyone 🙏 pic.twitter.com/r5U5taf36p

— Nila Madhab PANDA ନୀଳମାଧବ ପଣ୍ଡା (@nilamadhabpanda) February 19, 2021

Some national and regional media in Odisha unwittingly picked up the misleading tweet and wrote about Nila Madhav Panda’s feat which led to the rampant spread of the news, ostensibly fake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ee3saradMA

Now the truth is this cleverly written tweet only dishes the half-truth. The fact is any film across the world can apply to Oscars under the general category following a certain procedure and paying a certain amount. The enrolment of the film doesn’t mean that the movie has been selected by the Oscar committee. A number of films across the world apply in the category with the dream of getting through but don’t get through unless it is extraordinary or meets the Academy Awards standards.

Hence, what is being dubbed as a ‘proud moment’ for Odias across is just a wave of misinformation. Kalira Atita has not ‘made its entry into the Oscars shortlist, the makers have applied in the general category by paying a certain amount of deposit. The tweet by the filmmaker is misleading and so is the follow-up of news stories on the same. While many fell in this cleverly set trap of false propaganda to glorify the movie with a paid entry to Oscars, the orchestrated tweet garnering media hype is inadvertently concerning nevertheless.

For the benefit of OTV readers, India’s only official entry for Oscar, 2020-21 is the Malayalam movie Jalikattu directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery.