The directors and the star-cast of the Indian film Mumbai Cutting, which was the closing film of the 10th Osian's-Cinefan Film festival, were present at the venue to address a press meet. Present from the 11 directors of the film were Suhir Mishra, Kundan Shah, Shahshanka Ghosh and Revathi accompanied by actors Tara Sharma, Raima Sen, Sushant Singh, Tejaswini Kolhapure and the producer of the film Niyati Shah.
A film as emotionally complex as the city it portrays, Mumbai Cutting alternates between comical and cynical, as it tells the story of a man and a woman who come together in grief after losing their loved ones, a writer who makes it his mission to connect with a troubled orphan, a Muslim woman attempting to procure a fake passport, and an aspiring actor who races through the streets in order to reach an important audition.
Director Sudhir Mishra said, 'Mumbai Cutting is a movie based on the theme Mumbai and it captures the individual reactions of the directors to the city. The film is an eclectic mix of 11 short films which are completely different from each other.' He further added that directing a short film is much more challenging than directing a feature film as it needs immense skills.
He expressed, 'I personally feel that a director can showcase various subjects through short films which a full length feature film may not be capable of achieving and with this experience I am encouraged to direct more short films in the future.' He concluded saying that Osian's-Cinefan is a huge platform for their movie and they are indeed glad that the movie has been selected as the Closing Film.
Director Revathi said, 'I am not from Mumbai but the producer wanted me to direct a film for this movie as I keep fluctuating between Chennai and Mumbai. I have made my film through the eyes of an immigrant. Mumbai Cutting is like a book which has different stories with different moods but Mumbai is the common theme in each of the 11 short films.'
Producer Niyati Shah stressed on the fact that, 'Each of the 11 scripts are original and written by the directors themselves.' She further stated that the movie will also be premiered at various Winter Festivals. The producer had initially planned this project for broadband release but then taking the directors who got involved they decided to take the project to theatres by making it into a feature film.
Director Kundan Shah, senior most on the panel said, 'I was extremely exited about the offer made to me to direct a short film for Mumbai Cutting because of its theme which is Mumbai. The producer shared with us the theme and had given us complete freedom to select our subject.' He further expressed that he personally enjoyed watching short films as they have a complete different narration which is very aesthetic and at the same time extremely challenging.
Director Shashanka Ghosh who in good humor called himself a Mumbai Refugee has made many short films in his career.
The actors addressing the press meet shared their experiences during the making of Mumbai Cutting and admitted that acting in a short film was a learning experience which is different from that of a feature film. They also said that working with the eminent directors taught them how challenging it gets to direct a short film and how one has to have a complete eye for detail.
The film will have a commercial release like any other film and the music will be released in the month of August. The film is being distributed by Sahara who are also initiating talks with the international distributors for its international release.
