Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 11: `Mantostaan’ – a film produced and directed by two youth of border district of Poonch, is going to be screened in Cannes Film Festival on May 14.
Tariq Khan, producer and Rahat Kazmi, director, of the film, have left for France with other team members to attend the film festival. The film has been shot in beautiful locations of Jammu and Poonch.
Earlier, the duo has directed `Identity Card’, based on Kashmir conflict which was released last year and appreciated across the country.
Producer of the Film `Mantostaan’, Tariq Khan disclosed that militancy erupted in border district of Poonch too and youths were brainwashed to pick up guns and encounters were a routine. “Being a native of Surankote, we were dreaming different and after consulting Rahat Kazmi, director of the film, we came up with an idea of making films at local level,” he added.
Without any knowledge of making films and finance, they left for Mumbai and started struggle in Bollywood. With full of passion and dedication for cinema, started making short film with normal camera.
“Earlier, we shot some add films, serials and then decided to get experience with assisting reputed directors and producers. After spending some time at Delhi and Mumbai, again we decided to shot film on own level and in 2014, film `Identity Card’ was released and this film too we shot in Kashmir and some parts of Jammu,” Tariq informed.
`Mantostaan’ is a dark satire based on four burning and the most controversial short stories (Khol Do, Thanda Ghosht, Assignment and Aakhri Salute) of legendary Urdu writer Saadat Hassan Manto.
With `Mantostaan’ Rahat Kazmi and Tariq Khan teamed up with their third counterpart Zahid Qureshi. He came on board as Line producer to handle all the production responsibilities and he played a cameo character in the film. Here completes the team of these youngsters from Poonch who had dreamt of making films.
Rahat’s younger brother and an acclaimed actor Shoib Nikash Shah is playing one of the lead roles in the film, opposite Sonal Sehgal. Other key characters are played by Raghubir Yadav, Virendra Saxena, Tariq Khan, Sakshi Bhat and Rahat Kazmi himself.
Mantostaan is first dark satire on the largest mass migration when millions of people were slaughtered and millions were displaced during India- Pakistan partition of 1947. As film is selected for Cannes, big houses and distributors including foreigners have approached Tariq and Rahat for buying copy right of film and release distribution.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
