After, winning the Audience Choice Award at the Minsk International Festival in Belarus and at Cannes, the MIP Junior Kids Jury Award, Nila Madhab Panda 's movie ' Jalpari-The Desert Mermaid ' has been selected for the Oscars.
The film is based on the hardships faced by an ordinary girl in rural India, which also throws light on India's rural-urban divide. Producer Sushil Kumar Agrawal says, "About 17 Indian films are competing for India's official entry in the foreign film category, but unfortunately, only one film can go. Jalpari's original story and concept are the USP of the film. It has a blazing subject combined with powerful performances which makes it worthy of a direct entry for the Academy Awards,"