A great honour

STRAP: Manoj Bajpayee’s ‘Bhonsle’ wins big at Barcelona festival

Manoj Bajpayee-starrer and critically acclaimed movie “Bhonsle” has won prestigious awards at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona.Directed by Devashish Makhija, the film has bagged two awards in the ‘Best Screenplay’ and ‘Best Director’ categories at the festival.

“Bhonsle” revolves around a police constable played by Manoj, who tries to help struggling migrants in their battles with the local politicians. It also addresses the concerns of various ethnic groups and highlights the issues that they face in order to survive in a city like Mumbai, away from their home.

On being felicitated, Devashish said: “To not only be recognised as an Asian film, but to be awarded as one is an honour. The migrant issue explored in Bhonsle is one that is relevant for all of Asia if not the world.”

“Bhonsle”, co-produced by Golden Ratio Films, was premiered in the ‘A Window on Asian Cinema’ section of the 2018 Busan International Film Festival. It was also screened at renowned film festivals including the MAMI Film Festival, 2018 Dharamshala Film Festival, the 2019 International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Bengaluru International Film Festival and the Singapore South Asian International film festival. – IANS