Bhubaneswar: Odia producer Swastik Choudhury’s film ‘Runanubandha’ (The HE without HIM) has won the Best Editing Award at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival 2019 at Ontario, Canada.
The film is directed and edited by Amartya Bhattacharyya.
The festival’s theme this year was ‘Courageous Cinema’. It boasted of some wonderful films from across South Asian countries.
‘Runanubandha’ is also one of the two Indian feature films to be selected at the 17th Oakland International Film Festival, to be held in September. It premiered in the International competition of 24th Kolkata International Film Festival in November, 2018.
The film also earned a lot of attention at festivals in France and UK in April this year.
The film features actor Priyanka Ghosh Roy as the protagonist. Swastik Choudhury, 32, the film’s producer, also plays a very interesting character.
Renowned Indian filmmaker Susant Misra plays a cameo. The music of the film has been scored by Kisaloy Roy. Rock musician and National award winning singer, Rupam Islam has sung the title song.
The shooting of the film has been done in Kolkata and portrays the city in a unique way, capturing the real moments of everyday life amidst a semi-surreal narrative.
The sound is by Sujoy Das of Filmstop Entertainment, who is also the co-producer of the film.
This is Amartya Bhattacharyya’s third feature film. Earlier, he made two Odia films – Capital I and Khyanikaa (The Lost Idea), both critically acclaimed at various international film festivals round the world.
However, ‘Runanubandha’ is the first feature film in his mother tongue.
Runanubandha is a term used in spirituality. It refers to the body’s memory, which comprises genetic memory and memory of intimate physical connect.
It is this memory, which is said to bind a parent and a child, a husband and a wife or any other intimate relationships. The film explores a daughter’s search for her father in the metropolis of Kolkata. Daughter Shatarupa, finds her father’s voice in a young man who comes into her life as a director. The paternal trait draw her towards him, but she finds herself trapped elsewhere between emotional complexities and simplicity.
The film also draws a parallel with the mythological tale of Lord Brahma, the universal father and creator, who was attracted to his own daughter Shatarupa (also known as Saraswati). The film unfolds the mystic journey of a daughter in pursuit of her father.
Amartya Bhattacharyya’s (31) films have been screened in over 120 international film festivals across the world.
The film has been produced by by Swastik Choudhury’s production house ‘Swastik Arthouuse’.
