‘Chitrakut’ To World Premiere At The 15th Annual South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF)

‘Chitrakut’ is a story about relationships, change, and metamorphosis, as five people search for love and companionship. The film will make its world premiere at the 15th Annual South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) on December 16th, 2018 at 3:30 pm at the NYIT Auditorium Broadway, New York, NY. A Q&A session will be held following the screening. Click here to purchase screening tickets. 

Set against a lush Western Indian landscape during the monsoon season, ‘Chitrakut’ delicately sets the tone, interweaving the lives of five adults – all converging at different intersections of life, discovering the meaning of love; encapsulating fractured feelings. 

The film received the inspiration from the spiritual tale of The Ramayana when Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman spent a short duration of the fourteen years of banishment in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India. Writer and Director, Himanshu Malik, best known for his role in Bollywood feature films ‘Tum Bin’ and ‘Khwahish’ said, “Our lives today revolve around finding love, companionship, and strength in relationships. The film showcases the emotional ups and downs of life dynamically.”

Akbar Arabiyan and Himanshu Malik are the film’s Producers and have Auritra Ghosh, Vibhore Mayank, Kiran Srinivas, Naina Trivedi, and Shruti Bapna as cast. “We are thrilled for the opportunity to share stories about human emotions and how they impact relationships,” says Akbar Arabiyan. Mr. Arabiyan is a Pune-based film producer, philanthropist and patron of the arts. 

Stacey Marbrey, the film’s Co-Producer said, “Shooting the film in the Indian monsoon season was a beautiful experience for me. I synced in with Himanshu’s vision and have been thrilled to be a part of this project.” ‘Chitrakut’, the fictional feature film is set to enter international film festivals worldwide. 

About Akbar Arabiyan – MOJDEH & MOJTABA MOVIES: Akbar Arabiyan started his career in the Indian film industry as Co-Producer working on his brother-in-law, actor/director Rupesh Kumar’s film ‘Hai Meri Jaan’ (1991). The film stared known Bollywood actors; Kumar Gaurav, Aisha Jhulka, Asgar Arabiyan, Sunil Dutt & Hema Malini with the legendary Music Director Bappi Lahiri’s music. In 1993, Akbar Co-Produced, “Meri Aan” starring Ayub Khan, Farheen, Prithvi, Mukesh Khanna, Shabaz Khan & Sanjay Dutt in a guest role. and furthered his career producing rom-com ‘Kis Kis Kismat’ (2004). Mallika Sherawat, a well-known actor in Bollywood kick-started her career in India and the USA with her role in ‘Khwahish’ (2003), a feature film about romantic-drama produced by Akbar. 

About Himanshu Malik – Malik Pictures: Himanshu began his filmmaking career as an assistant on Mira Nair’s ‘Kamasutra- A Tale of Love.’ Further to that, he went on to the performing arts, acting in a number of feature films, notably ‘Tum Bin’, ‘Khwahish’ etc. He turned filmmaker in 2012 – Writing and Directing, his first short – ‘Q.E.D (Quod Erat Demonstradum).’ MALIK PICTURES is a production house that was founded in 2014 under which Himanshu has directed various music videos and advertising content for numerous India based brands. ‘Chitrakut’ is his first fiction feature, which is also Produced by his company MALIK PICTURES.