A Malayalam film, Jallikattu, has been selected as India’s official entry to Oscars 2021.

The film, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery, will compete in the International Feature Film category.

A jury of the Film Federation of India, headed by director Rahul Rawail, selected Jallikattu from a list of 27 films. The list included Hindi films like Gulabo Sitabo, Chhapaak, Bulbul and Serious Men.

Jallikattu is based on the short story, Maoist, by S. Hareesh. The film, which shares its name with the controversial bull-taming sport, stars Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran. The plot follows a bull that escapes from a slaughterhouse.

“The 14-member jury was touched by the rawness the film depicted, the complexity of human emotions with well fleshed out characters,” Rawail, chairman of the jury, said on Wednesday.

“The jury met virtually this year keeping in mind the worldwide pandemic which has affected all our lives so deeply,” said Firdausul Hasan, Calcutta-based producer and president of the federation.