Ritesh Sharma’s debut to premiere at Tokyo film fest
It has been a long journey for filmmaker Ritesh Sharma — from conceptualising his debut feature film The Brittle Thread, to finally seeing it get its world premiere at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival. “My film is the only one from India in the Asian Future Section. I finished it in April and sent it for Tokyo and Busan (film festivals). And I finally got into Tokyo,” shares an elated Sharma.
He tells us that he got the idea for the film in 2015 when he was in Varanasi, where the film is set. It follows the story of an orchestra dancer Rani (Megha Mathur) and handloom weaver Shahdab (Muzaffar Khan). The film explores the love and hate dimensions in the ancient city, as their cultural and political identities come to the fore.
“It has been a beautiful journey (making the film), especially when it is an independent film… You are everything — the dad and mum — to this child you are bringing into the world... The film is very different from what we see in mainstream cinema, but now, with the digital space, there is acceptance,” he says.
Admitting that it is “tough to make a film which has some political angle, in India”, he reveals, “Many people backed away, but then in 2018, we finally decided to go for it.”
Known for his documentary film The Holy Wives (2010), Sharma wants to see the audience’s reaction to the film when it premieres next month. “I just want the world to see the film. I won’t be able to travel to Tokyo due to the pandemic, but I will be part of online discussions. I wants to send the film to as many festivals as possible. I really want this film to release in theatres in India. Let’s see how things go,” he concludes.