AB Corp’s first Marathi film to be screened at MAMI : Bollywood News

With Slumdog Millionaire opening the floodgates for Bollywood going global, it's now the turn of a Marathi film to venture into the untested waters of world cinema. AB Corp's Vihir (The Well) will be the screened at this year's Mumbai Film Festival.

AB Corp’s first Marathi film to be screened at MAMI

The film's world premiere was recently held at the Pusan International Film Festival, where it received rave reviews. In a short Q&A with Bollywood Hungama, the film's director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni talks about the idea of the film and the Bachchans' contribution to the same.

What is the genesis of the idea of Vihir?
I had been toying with the idea of making Vihir since the time I finished film school, as the film draws from my own personal experiences. I shared the idea with Girish Kulkarni and Sati Bhave, who further developed the script. Also, I was very excited with the idea of Vihir because I wanted to cast Madan Deodhar, who is a fine actor, as Sameer in the film.

How did the association with AB Corp happen?
Jaya Bachchan was a senior at film school (FTII, Pune) and mentioned to me once that she would like to work on a project together. One fine day I got a call from AB Corp asking if I had any ideas for the film. I pitched them Vihir and they loved it.

What was the production schedule of the film?
We started shooting in September 2008 and wrapped up the shoot in March this year, after which we started the post-production. In fact, the film was sent to Pusan International Film Festival even before any of the cast and crew could watch the final product!

What was Jaya Bachchan's contribution to the film? Has she seen the film?
She helped and approved the scripting process, besides of course funding the project. I have seen the film once. Jayaji has not seen the film yet. I am not aware of their schedules; but they (the Bachchan's) will hopefully be watching the film at a special screening before the Mumbai Film Festival or at the festival itself.

Umesh's Diploma film from FTII, Pune, Girni (The Grinding Machine) won the president gold medal for best short film and best direction in the year 2005. His short documentary Three Of Us premiered in Berlinale 2008 and received many international awards while his first feature film Valu (The Wild Bull) premiered in Rotterdam 2008.

The 114 minute Vihir will be screened in the Indian Frame section of the Mumbai Film Festival on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at Fun Cinemas, Mumbai.