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The Brittle Thread By Ritesh Sharma To Have World Premiere At Tokyo International Film Festival
Indian filmmaker Ritesh Sharma's feature directorial debut The Brittle Thread (Jhini Bini Chadariya) is set to have its world premiere at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival, the makers announced Tuesday. The trilingual drama -- Hindi, English and Hebrew -- will be screened in the Asian Future Section at the 10-day movie gala, to be held from October 30 through November 8.
Set in Sharma's hometown Varanasi, The Brittle Thread follows the story of the street dancer Rani (Megha Mathur) and handloom weaver Shahdab (Muzaffar Khan), who are both fighting the hardships of life in the bustling Uttar Pradesh city. The synopsis of the film reads: "Headstrong, feisty street dancer Rani works hard to take care of her daughter while reclusive weaver Shahdab discovers a new world in his friendship with an Israeli tourist. Exploring the love and hate dimensions in the ancient city of Varanasi, their cultural and political identities come to the fore. Will the luminous fabric of our diversity soon turn into an iron curtain, dividing those who seem to belong and those who don't?"
Sharma, known for his documentary film The Holy Wives (2010) about caste-based sexual exploitation and human trafficking in India, said growing up in Varanasi he realised that there was much more to the city than holy pilgrimages. This dense cultural hub accurately reflects the state of the two major communities of India, he said, adding that it was mystic poet Kabir's 'Jhini Bini Chadariya' that helped him weave the fabric of this film.
"It became a powerful metaphor of how people are interconnected and how life is always in the process of weaving itself. When I was brought to the Hindu temple to pray, I would rather go to the mosque across the street to enjoy the colourful fish in the pond. God for me was in both places," the filmmaker, who spent 13 years in theatre education and social activism, said in a statement. While the heart of Varanasi is currently being demolished along with old temples and mosques, local communities stand on the edge of a schism, said Sharma who has also penned the screenplay and dialogues for the film.
"My intention was to put them in the spotlight, and bring out the multicultural face of Varanasi that the city should actually take pride in. This is a story about the battles of earning an honest living, that unite common people everywhere," he added. He was awarded the 'Changeloom Award’ in 2008, an honour for his active participation in various social issues such as human trafficking, women and children's rights. In 2014, Sharma directed another documentary movie Rainbows are Real, and has released two short films on tribal rights and domestic violence.
The Brittle Thread, a 97 minute-four second-long film, also stars Sivan Spector, Utkarsh Srivastava, Roopa Chaurasiya, Nishant Kumar. Shweta Nagar and Syed Iqbal Ahmed. It is produced by Hardhyaan Films and co-produced by Veda Film Factory. The film festival will open with the Japanese premiere of Cry Macho, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and close with Stephen Chbosky's Dear Evan Hansen. French acting icon Isabelle Huppert serves as the president of the Tokyo International Film Festival's competition section.
