Kiwi screenwriter Shuchi Kothari's latest movie Firaaq is gaining momentum after winning a string of awards at film festivals around the world.
Kothari is no stranger to the film festival circuit, but the New Zealand premiere of her latest feature will be the culmination of an international project.
"Oh god, I just feel anxious and nervous, I really do," she says. "I feel like if I can watch the film without butterflies in my stomach, I'll be happy."
Written in New Zealand, the film is the directorial debut for Indian actor Nandita Das. The two Indians first met in Auckland in 2003 when Das agreed to star in Kothari's short film Fleeting Beauty.
"A lot of people who knew Nandita through Fleeting Beauty, they'd seen her as this actor who on set used to say, 'I'm gonna direct one day', and they'll get a chance to see her work."
Das is one of India's most revered actresses. She has starred in a number of controversial films, including the award-winning Fire, where she played a lesbian with the same name as a Hindu god.
The latest feature Firaaq doesn't shy away from controversy either. The movie about Hindu/Muslim riots in India has found high-profile support. Salman Rushdie introduced Firaaq to audiences at the prestigious Telluride Film Festival in Colorado last year, and New Zealand Film Festival director Bill Gosden says it's not just a movie for Indian audiences.
Firaaq premieres in Auckland next Tuesday.
3 News
source: newshub archive
