Punjabi short film wins acclaim at int'l festival

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 12

Punjabi short film 'Darpok' by film-maker Rakesh Mehta and starring Gautam Gulati has been announced a winner in the short-film category at the annual Virasat International Punjabi Film Festival and Awards being held in Australia. The 20-minute film that was officially an entry at the Cannes film festival in 2015 in the Short-film Corner, has once again done Punjabi cinema proud and sharing a small but significant share of the success is child actor Khyati Mehra from city.

Khyati, who plays the role of protagonist’s friend as a child in the film, was elated at the news. “It was a learning experience to shoot for the film and to share screen with seasoned actors and filmmakers, even if it is for a short role. I am happy that the film is being celebrated globally as Punjabi short films need that kind of platform,” said the actor, who was also seen in movie Sarbjit.

''''Darpok'''' stars Gautam Gulati as a protagonist who witnesses his mother being raped by a local politician as a child and vows to take revenge. The film was shot extensively near a village in Attari, Amritsar, and has been screened at several prestigious film festivals. Still awaiting release in India, the filmmaker Rakesh Mehta is hoping to find a good audience and distributors for the film in India.