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Malayalam film Jallikattu is India’s official entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards.

Highlights

• Jallikattu is the second Malayalam film to be entered for the Oscars, after Adaminte Makan Abu in 2011.
• Till date only three Indian films have ever made it to the final list of Oscar nominations—Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001).
• The film is about the violence and depravity that lurks just beneath the surface of everyday life.

Jallikattu

• Jallikattu, the traditional bull-taming event, is celebrated across Tamil Nadu.
• It is seen by the masses as a symbol of Tamil culture and a show of valour.
• The bulls, from native breeds, are trained to toss tamers in the air with their horns and kick them.
• The sport which dates back to almost 2000 years is enshrined in the rural culture in the villages of Tamil Nadu.
• Conducted during the harvest season of Pongal, the sport was banned by the central government in 2014 and hasn't been held since the last two years.
• The SC had banned the sport earlier, though it was lifted in 2016 following a massive movement.

Source: The Hindu