Short film by Whistling Woods students premieres on Sony Liv
MUMBAI: Video-on-demand (VoD) platform Sony Liv has added 'Kathakaarto', a short film conceptualised by students from Whistling Woods International (WWI), to its content library.
'Kathakaarto' was also one of the semi-finalists in the Foreign Narrative Category at the 43rd Annual Student Academy Awards.
The film is in line with Sony Liv's association with the film division of Whistling Woods International, a private film, communication and media arts school, and its digital venture, Connect1.
Actor-lyricist Piyush Mishra plays the lead in the short film. 'Kathakaar' is the story of Prakash, an old theatre projectionist who loses his job owing to changing technology and goes back to his native village. Depressed with this sudden loss of job, he struggles to figure out what to do with his life. After he succeeds in making a crying child laugh with his storytelling skills, he gathers his confidence, takes a chance to become a storyteller for the entire village, thereby rediscovering his passion. The narrative of 'Kathakaar' welcomes this new beginning in the life of Prakash.
Talking about 'Kathakaar', director Piyush Mishra said, "With 'Kathakaar', I went purely with my gut feeling. I reject a lot of scripts, but there was an X-factor about this one. I also had a question in mind as to how so much could be projected in such a short time span of 10 minutes. The character I play grabbed my interest. Having said that, I had no clue that the film would be so well made, and would go on to do so well."
The film has so far won 13 awards, including three international awards and has been officially selected at 26 film festivals across the globe.
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) EVP and head digital business Uday Sodhi said, "We are delighted to showcase 'Kathakaar' exclusively on our platform. The narrative is powerfully evocative and we hope our viewers will enjoy watching it. Through our association with the film division of Whistling Woods International, we aim to present more exclusive and riveting entertainment to our viewers in the near future."