MUMBAI: September 21, the debut feature by 22-year-old writer-director Karen Kshiti Suvarna, is set to have its world premiere at the Marché du Film during the Festival de Cannes on May 16.
Shot in Hindi and Kannada, the film centres on a patient with Alzheimer’s who believes his wife is quarantined next door due to COVID-19, while his estranged son returns home, caught between personal ambition and family responsibility.
Suvarna, who describes silence and restraint as the film’s primary language, said the project focuses as much on caregivers as it does on those living with dementia.
“The struggles faced by caregivers are often greater than those faced by Alzheimer’s patients,” the director said in a statement.
Pravin Singh Sisodia plays the father living with dementia, with the cast also featuring Priyanka Upendra, Zarina Wahab, Ajith Shidhaye and Amit Behl.
The film is written by Rajshekhar, with music composed by Vinayy Chandraa.
Produced by Visica Films, FMD Productions and HumaraMovie in association with Filmsmax, the project has been endorsed by the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI).
HumaraMovie, partnered by Preety Ali, wife of filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, has previously backed festival titles such as Follower and Tortoise Under the Earth.
The film was earlier showcased in the Work-in-Progress section at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
(With inputs from PTI)