‘DAM 999’, produced by Biz TV Network and directed by Sohan Roy, set in the backdrop of rich Indian culture made it world premiere at the Cannes. The story based on a real Indian dam and its possible disaster was screened at the Palais Theatre on May 11th, the opening day of Marche Du Film of the Cannes Film Festival.
The movie will also have a repeat screening on 16th may at Riviera theatre for the market delegates. Marche Du Film is the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival and the largest film market in the world that takes place each year in the month of May.
Around 10,000 participants from a hundred different countries with over 600 exhibitors, representing all the diversity of the film industry reunite every year at the Marché du Film.
The movie also found its place at the Cannes Indian Pavilion, the exclusive venue for Indian Cinema at Festival De Cannes. The Indian pavilion located at Village International Riviera at Cannes is organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting along with National Film Development Corporation Ltd of India.
‘DAM 999’ revolves around a deteriorated dam in India that was built during the colonial rule. There are nine characters in the movie and each one of them has a persona that is dominated by one of the navarasas, the same concept on which the fashion event is centered.
The dam in the movie is a symbol of obstruction and contained emotions. Like the dam, the characters in the movie restrain their emotions. Finally a day comes when the dam bursts and with it the mysteries of the characters are also unfolded.
The cast include Barry John, Rajit Kapoor, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Linda Arsenio, Tulip Joshi, Vimala Raman, Vinay Rai, Joshua Fredric, Jaala Pickering, Eshwar, Megha Burman and Jineet Rath.
‘DAM999’ has been inspired by the tragic Banqiao dam disaster in 1975, which took the lives of over 250,000 people. Very similar to that, the Mullaperiyar dam has the potential to wipe the lives of more than 2.5 million people if it breaks.
‘DAM 999’ is also the truest of all attempts ever made to draw the world’s attention towards the riches of India and wipe out the illusions on Indian reality. It lightens up the great Indian heritages like Ayurveda, the holistic science for healthy life and Natya Sasthra, the ultimate code that deciphers the baffling language of the art of acting. It highlights the importance of the Indian concept of family, the foundation of this one of the most mystic cultures in the world; and above all the greatness of ‘love’ that fortifies the diversified Indian civilization.