Was Shahid shunned at National Film Festival?

National award-winning director Hansal Mehta is miffed with the organisers of the National Film Festival, which concluded in Delhi on July 2. And, he isn’t mincing his words.

National

Hansal-Mehta-Photos-Prodip-Guha

award-winning director

Hansal Mehta is miffed with the organisers of the National Film Festival, which concluded in Delhi on July 2. And, he isn’t mincing his words.

"I was invited by them and told that my film (National Award-winning) Shahid (2013) would be the opening film of the festival, then it was changed suddenly, even without informing me," he says, adding, "I am a storyteller and my mind is running amok; I am forced to wonder if there is a political conspiracy."

Mehta’s film was replaced by acclaimed Marathi film Astu in the opening slot. "I have nothing against Astu. My grouse is that the ­organisers didn’t have the courtesy to inform me about the change," says Mehta. The film was eventually screened on the second day of the fest.



The director of the Directorate of Film Festivals, Shankar Mohan, remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him.