Devashish Makhija: Film festivals are portals to international horizon

Bhosle director Devashish Makhika’s next Joram, starring Manoj Bajpayee, to have a world premiere at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam. He says international exposure helps a movie chart its journey

After the acclaimed film Bhosle (2020), director Devashish Makhija is ready with his next, Joram. And he couldn’t be happier to collaborate with the National Film Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee for the third time.

Devashish Makhija

The movie will have a world premiere at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam. It has also been selected for the Film Bazaar Recommends category of the NFDC’s Film Bazaar. Devashish says, “The international exposure that film festivals and film markets bring helps a movie chart its journey, and eventual sales and distribution plans. The international horizon is limitless. Festivals and markets are the portal to that horizon.”

Devashish admits that he has tried to shape Manoj into characters he’s never played before, and “he has deep dived into them with enthusiasm”. The director adds, “To me, performance is the beating heart of the cinema I make. Along with Manoj, we had another phenomenal artiste in Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, both their characters traversing trajectories that were both tragic and thrilling.”

Being an independent filmmaker, Devashish feels his film’s journey will be unique, because it has the backing of a popular Indian studio. “The roadmap we chart may set new precedents for how an independent spirited artistic film can release and be watched,” he ends.