The Geetu Mohandas-helmed atmospheric crime drama, Moothon, will conclude the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2020. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the eleventh edition of the festival is beimng hosted virtually this year.
Featuring a bilingual narrative in Hindi and the Jeseri dialect of Malayalam, the film stars Nivin Pauly, Shashank Arora, Sobhita Dhulipala, Melissa Raju Thomas, Sanjana Dipu and Roshan Mathew, with Hindi dialogues by Anurag Kashyap. The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and has been doing the rounds of the festival circuit since then.
Talking about "Moothon" being the closing film at IFFM this year, Festival director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange shared: "Yearning for your loved ones and feeling the pangs of separation has been a lingering mood this year. There's no better time to watch Moothon. We are elated to have the movie be the finale film at the Festival because of its distinct voice. The narrative itself encapsulates the vibe of diversity which is so precious to us."
The film has been shot in real locations and among real people, in picturesque Lakshwadeep islands and Mumbai's red-light area Kamathipura.
Throwing light on the story of the film, director Geetu Mohandas had earlier told IANS: "The film is about a young kid from the Lakshwadeep island who has grown up hearing a lot of tall tales about his elder brother who he has never met. One day the kid decides to leave the island due to certain circumstances and sets off in search of his brother, who is apparently somewhere in Mumbai. The kid reaches Mumbai and the adventure that unfolds is what forms the story of the film."
IFFM, which commenced on October 23, showcased over 60 films in 17 languages including shorts, feature films, and documentaries made locally and across the globe. The festival concludes on October 30.