Four Indian films will have their world premiere at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival that runs from October 4-13: Hardik Mehta’s Kaamyaab, Sanjoy Nag’s Yours Truly, Devashish Makhija’s Bhonsle and Praveen Morchhale’s Widow of Silence.
Kaamyaab, starring Sanjay Mishra, Deepak Dobriyal, Isha Talwar, Sarika Singh and Avtar Gill, marks the feature filmmaking debut of writer Hardik Mehta, who has worked on Lootera, Queen and Trapped. The film follows a seasoned character-actor who decides to come out of retirement to hunt for a milestone – his 500th role.
“It’s about how at the fag end of your life, you realise that all your life you did something, but if you did that one little thing, your life would be complete,” Mehta told IANS. Mehta said the film has a humorous undertone and examines Hindi cinema’s tendency to typecast actors.
We are happy to announce that Kaamyaab will be making its World Premiere at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival, in the Window on Asian Cinema section. #ErosNow | #HardikMehta | @RidhimaLulla | @ManMundra | @busanfilmfest | @DrishyamFilms | @imsanjaimishra | pic.twitter.com/fO8lWorDuq
— Eros Now (@ErosNow) September 4, 2018
Sanjoy Nag’s Yours Truly, starring Soni Razdan and Pankaj Tripathi, is based on a short story by Annie Zaidi about a woman who lives alone and is about to retire from her job. The movie deals with loneliness and love, Razdan told Scroll.in in an interview in January. “It is not a run-of-the-mill story,” she said. Produced by Shiladitya Bora, the film also stars Razdan’s husband and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Aahana Kumra.
From the National Award winning director of #MemoriesInMarch - Sanjoy Nag... #YoursTruly to have its World Premiere at the upcoming Busan International Film Festival... Stars Soni Razdan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aahana Kumra and Mahesh Bhatt. pic.twitter.com/acnAbtBpdx
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 4, 2018
In Devashish Makhija’s Bhonsle, Manoj Bajpayee plays a terminally ill Maharashtrian policeman who has to retire from service against his will. In a politically tumultuous Mumbai, he finds himself “forging an unlikely companionship with a 23-year-old North-Indian girl and her little brother,” reads the film’s official synopsis.
Bhonsle builds on Makhija’s short film Taandav (2016), where Bajpayee played a constable who loses his cool after a hard day of work. Makhija’s previous film, Ajji, had premiered at Busan last year.
Rima Das’s Bulbul Can Sing and Rahi Anil Barve’s Tumbbad (an Indo-Swedish production) will have their Asian premieres at the festival. Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju and Nandita Das’s Manto will also be screened at Busan.
Overall, 323 films from 70 countries will be screened at the festival, which will open with the North Korean drama Beautiful Days directed by Jero Yuns. This year, the festival has added a new section, Busan Classic, that will screen significant films in the history of cinema. The selection includes Hirani’s 2003 hit Munnabhai MBBS.