Vishal Bhardwaj recalls Omkara missing Toronto Film Festival selection: “They said it’s not a good film” : Bollywood News

Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj recently opened up about his experiences with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), shedding light on how the festival's selection process can be unpredictable. Bhardwaj expressed his surprise at how the same festival that celebrated his adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, titled Maqbool, rejected his highly anticipated movie, Omkara.

Vishal Bhardwaj recalls Omkara missing Toronto Film Festival selection: “They said it’s not a good film”

In an interview with Humans of Cinema, Bhardwaj candidly discussed the challenges and biases faced by mainstream Indian cinema on the global stage. Reflecting on his journey, Bhardwaj recounted the scepticism he faced while making Maqbool, a film deeply rooted in Shakespearean literature.

The filmmaker recalled, “When I made Maqbool, I had no idea that it would travel internationally. The environment wasn’t conducive; a lot of people told me to remove the Shakespeare reference from the script because it would turn away financiers. The thinking was that Shakespeare is boring, literature is boring. And then it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where people applauded it.”

He further added, “In Omkara, I consciously did that. I made my own language. But the same Toronto International Film Festival didn’t select that film. They said it’s not a good film. I must still be having some email from them. And that year they selected Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Kabul Express. They didn’t select Omkara, which is fine.”

Coming to the professional front, the 58-year-old director-producer is gearing up for the release of his Netflix spy film, Khufiya, which is set to premiere next week. It stars Tabu, Ali Fazal and Wamiqa Gabi in the lead.

Also Read: Vishal Bhardwaj expresses his desire to do a film with Shah Rukh Khan