Why is RRR not selected for the Oscars?

Many were shocked when Rajamouli's magnum opus Rrr starring NTR and Ram Charan in the lead, was not selected as India's official entry for the Oscars. When the Indian jury snubbed Rrr and preferred the little-known Chhello Show (The Last Show), fans and movie lovers vented their ire at those who selected the film. They questioned their integrity and even suspected political foul play by the center as Gujarat elections are around the corner. 

This is because, for over a month or so, ever since the Rrr Hindi version started streaming on Netflix, western media, Hollywood celebrities and critics started raving about the film and many magazines predicted Oscars for the film in various categories. Even after the snub, foreign media expressed their shock and felt that India lost the golden opportunity to get the Oscars for the first time in the best foreign language film category. 

After so much fury,  Film Federation of India (FFI) president TP Aggarwal spoke to scribes that Chello Show was selected unanimously and added the box office collections, popularity among movie lovers, entertainment, and marketing values do not determine the Oscar nomination. He expressed confidence that Chello Show will make India proud at the Oscars. However, many say the Chello Show is a poor copy of the Oscar-winning film. Netizens shared “The jury of #FFI falters once again. Selects the film #ChhelloShow as India’s Oscar entry, which is a copy of #CinemaParadiso.The basic rule of originality has been overlooked and the film will be rejected only because it’s a copy. Another opportunity lost,

Many felt that the Indian jury is of the opinion that the West likes India to be portrayed in a particular manner and then only it will appeal to them and bring awards and rewards. They are asking Indian Jury to introspect as many times their decisions backfired as how Jai Bhim and Lunch Box were not selected as the official entries. People are of the opinion that the Indian Jury is disconnected from the tastes of not only the movie lovers but also the thought process of the west and the jury at the Oscars. 

Analysts say "We need to make a film of international standards. We need a jury that is not chosen by the Film Federation of India (FFI) but by people who understand international cinema and are exposed to it. . . Most times, our films are just not good enough. ". People analyzed “They (the West) find it (Rrr) better than any Marvel movie. They’ve really gone crazy for it, even the silliness of it. And they are so blown away not only by the action sequences but also the dance sequences. The West sees Rrr differently than how we see it, and they’ve loved it. If Rrr becomes the India selection, 99% it might get nominated for the Academy Award. That is the impact that the film has had in the world of Hollywood. ’’

Even still many are trying to dissect the reasons why Rrr was not picked. Some say Rrr was not picked as it promoted Indian culture, and Hinduism to some extent just like The Kashmir Files and Brahmastra did and The jury doesn't want any controversy regarding it selection. But then the same jury's double standards are exposed when they claimed “Rules state that the film should be Indian, second – it should reflect the culture of the country, and third – the language should be dominantly spoken in the country. ” The jury's doublespeak is getting exposed and with no transparency, doubts are increasing over the credibility.