Exclusive! Indrasis Acharya on Niharaka’s first festival outing: Anuradha and Silajit will get global recognition for the entry

Indrasis Acharya’s Niharika has been officially selected and invited to the Adelaide Film Festival 2022, Australia. The biennial festival will run between October 19 and 30. The film that features Anuradha Mukherjee and Silajit in the lead will compete in the main section of the festival. The director took to social media to break the news and thanked his team. 

While talking exclusively with OTTplay, Indrasis said, “I am very happy. It is a big achievement as this is a prestigious festival. We are getting a good international response. It is the beginning. I am sure it will compete and be screened at other festivals too.”

Talking about his cast, Indrasis said, “The festival entry will also be an important recognition for Anuradha and Silajit. Both of them are very good actors and it is our responsibility to explore the talent pool,” he said.

Also read: Exclusive! Indrasis Acharya’s next Niharika to delve into the gender identity crisis 

The film is shot in remote areas in Madhupur, Simultala and Giridih for one year to capture three seasons – summer, monsoon and winter. Niharika is a crowdfunded project in which about 15 co-producers chipped in to finish the project. He explained that since independent films are not made keeping commercial success in mind, it becomes difficult to gather funds. “When we started shooting the film, only one producer, Pastel Entertainment, financed the first bit. It was only after the first phase of shooting, that we showed our work to other producers and they came forward. I believe that it is important to have a space for creative independence,” Indrasis explained.

Earlier, Indrasis’ Pupa and Parcel garnered appreciation from different quarters. In fact, his directorial debut feature, Bilu Rakkhosh which is celebrating five years of its release, was widely appreciated by film critics and makers. Parcel, which features Rituparna Sengupta and Saswata Chatterjee in the lead, was released just before the lockdown. Later, it was released in Hoichoi.