‘The best way to route your film is through international film festivals’
Sangeeta Yadav
He reached Busan, South Korea yesterday, and actor Adil Hussain is gung-ho as two of his films where he plays the lead role — Nirvana Inn and Raahgir (The Wayfarers) — will be premiered at the Busan International Film Festival. Calling it an honour, the actor says the limelight lends an edge to the movies.
“For an independent film, the best way to route it is through international film festivals, as it gets the name and fame that it deserves. Since these films are made in a shoestring budget, the producers have to find ways to attract sales,” says Adil, hoping that his films would get a certain “boost and stature” that would help the producers in selling the digital rights.
While Raahgir, directed by Goutam Ghose, narrates “one of the most beautiful stories of how humanity thrives even amongst the poorest of the poor”, Nirvana Inn directed by Vijay Jayapal is a paranormal psychological thriller that “chronicles the protagonist’s journey of guilt, despair, depression, realisation, and redemption.”
The makers of these films are already in talks with OTT platforms, and Adil feels this is the right way to reach out to the global audience.
“Like how Delhi Crime had screened two of its episodes at Sundance Film Festival, USA, and after it got rave reviews, it was bought by an OTT platform. Premiering independent films at the international festivals is a very good way to attract digital platforms, and get more money than producers had expected. I hope these films will find their way to be watched by more and more people,” adds the criticallyacclaimed actor.