Erstwhile journalist and author-turned-filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s third feature film Rickshawala pays a tribute to legendary actor Om Puri, who played the role of a rickshawala in Roland Joffe’s City of Joy.
Talking about the film, Ram Kamal says, “October 18 is the 70th birth anniversary of Om Puriji, and it’s our humble offering to someone who left such a legacy of performances through his body of work.”
The film, starring Avinash Dwivedi and Sangita Sinha in lead roles, is a story of rickshaw pullers in Kolkata and has already fetched Best Actor and Best Director award at the 13th Ayodhya International Film Festival.
Rickshawala has been selected at the prestigious Imagine India International Film Festival in Madrid, Spain, as well as at 11th International Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Melbourne International Indian Film Festival, which will be celebrated virtually from October 23 this year, is considered one of the most prestigious festivals worldwide.
While appreciating the director’s work, Uma da Cunha, the curator at the Melbourne International Indian Film Festival, states, “Ram Kamal’s film is a telling depiction of the disparities and hardship faced by a migrant whose life encompasses the travails of the needy in cosmopolitan Kolkata.”
The legendary actor’s wife Nandita Puri adds, “Omji believed in new makers and their vision. As we are gearing up for his 70th birth anniversary on October 18, this news comes as a great surprise. Ram Kamal is a fine filmmaker and Rickshawala will be remembered for its simple and yet provoking narrative.”
— Sanskriti Media
