Harishchandrachi director denied visa

Director Paresh Mokashi, whose film Harishchandrachi Factory is India’s official entry to the Oscars, was denied a visa as the US consulate in Mumbai was not aware of his credentials.

Director Paresh Mokashi, whose film Harishchandrachi Factory is India’s official entry to the Oscars, was denied a visa as the US consulate in Mumbai was not aware of his credentials.

Mokashi needs to be in LA from November 2 for the promotion of his film, but he is still stuck without a visa. He tells a daily, “I don’t really blame them. I didn’t have a face that was instantly recognisable. They didn’t know who I was and I had no papers to prove I had made a film that had been sent to the Oscars.”

Mokashi had no documents to prove his credentials. “Whatever intimation I received about the Oscar entry from the US, I have handed it to UTV. This was my first application for an American visa, and naturally my first trip to the US. The only time I’ve been abroad is to London to shoot a portion of Harishchandrachi Factory. So I was completely unaware of how things work. I don’t know how to handle it,” added the director, who had to mortgage his property to make the film.

UTV stepped in to rescue the director by submitting all the relevant documents. Mokashi said, “The US consulate has promised to give me a visa after taking my passport. They have yet to decide for how long and in what capacity. They seem to have a very thin line that distinguishes the people who want to visit the US for genuine reasons.”

Mokashi hopes to be in the US for 25 days in November to promote the film for the Oscars. “I need to be back for the film’s release in India, (somewhere around December or January). Then I return to the US to be with the film till the Oscars,” he said.

The Oscar ceremony is scheduled for early next year.