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Indian director’s debut feature gets Gala treatment at Toronto festival
Kacchey Limbu, the first feature from Mumbai-based Shubham Yogi, was selected for the highest-profile section of the festival, the Gala Presentations, complete with red carpet walks and a debut screening at the premier theatre for the event, the Roy Thompson Hall
TORONTO: The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has, over the years, provided a platform for debut directors from India, and the high-profile debut of the film, Kacchey Limbu, this was part of that trend.
The first feature from Mumbai-based Shubham Yogi, the film was selected for the highest-profile section of the festival, the Gala Presentations, complete with red carpet walks and a debut screening at the premier theatre for the event, the Roy Thompson Hall.
That experience left Yogi stunned, as he described it as “unreal”. He defined the production as a studio-backed project with an Indie spirit. After its bow at TIFF, its likely to travel to other festivals before screening to the public.
The feedback he has received so far after its world premiere at Toronto has been “very encouraging”, he said.
Yogi is part of a series of Indian directors who have had their launch at TIFF. In 2021, all three Indian films featured were helmed by directors making their first full-length feature. Mumbai-based Payal Kapadia’s documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing was among the three Amplify Voice awardees, with these prizes aimed at celebrating diversity in cinema, while the festival also presented Ritwik Pareek’s Dug Dug and Nithin Lukose’s Paka.
Kacchey Limbu has the backdrop of competitive gully cricket tournaments in Mumbai and a sibling rivalry is its principal arc, with the cast led by Radhika Madan, Rajat Barmecha and Ayush Mehra.
“Propelled by high-energy music and a bevy of loveable characters,” TIFF noted in introducing the movie, it “is a vibrant story of teamwork and self-discovery”.
In fact, at the world premiere, the film was presented by TIFF’s CEO Cameron Bailey, who also conducted a post-screening question and answer session with members of the cast and crew.
Such a showcase was quite an honour for a film that was constantly challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic as director Yogi and members of the cast and crew fell prey to the disease.
The 2022 edition of the 11-day festival will conclude on Sunday.
