New Delhi   

"Nisshabd'' going places

It was a tough beginning all right, but Jahar Kanungo is not complaining. Nearly three months after his debut film "Nisshabd'' premiered rather quietly at the Osian Cinefan Asian Film Festival in Delhi, things are finally beginning to move for this manager-turned-director.

Having bagged the Best Film award in its very first show, the movie now is travelling to major international festivals. And while Delhi-based Jahar is still waiting to get his film released in India, word about his work has clearly reached far and wide.

If last month saw the film featured in the Asian section of the Golden Orange Film Festival in Turkey, Jahar right now is busy attending the Pusan International Film Festival where his film is in the competitive section.

But that's not all. The film then moves on to the Bangkok International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Denver International Film Festival, Dubai International Film Festival, Florence Film Festival and the Kolkata International Film Festival back home. "In fact, we have been getting many more invitations from different festivals. But then, because of my office job, it is very difficult to attend all the festivals. However, I am very excited about attending festivals in India. The Kolkata festival will be very important for me as my film is in Bengali and we plan to release it there soon. I am very keen for the Kerala festival too,'' said an excited Jahar before leaving for the Pusan Film Festival in Korea.

Although Jahar started his cinematic career with documentaries, it took him a long time to eventually find time off his busy nine-to-five job of a manager at a fertiliser firm. Funded by well-known French organisation Fonds Sud cinema, the film was shot in a single schedule of 42 days in Delhi and West Bengal, with Jahar's cast being a mix of Delhi and Kolkata-based theatre actors. -- Lakshmi B. Ghosh

-- Lakshmi B. Ghosh

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Residents up in arms over dumping site
Wanted gangster from Bihar killed in police encounter
Go aggressive, Minister tells industry
President for `extremely fast' implementation of e-governance
New hope for disaster victims
Shahjahan's dream captured in print
Court won't stay criminal proceedings against lawyers
"Nisshabd'' going places
Cop suspended for indiscipline
Get water from Haryana, Sheila told
More dengue patients admitted
`Don' gets parole to release book
EC notice to Jaya Bachchan
Donate generously for quake victims, appeals Manmohan
Draft curriculum framework for `quality teacher education'
Briefly
In the Capital Today

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu