It is a privilege for a film to travel the festival circuit, but despite appreciation overseas, most filmmakers struggle to find space for their projects back home. After a year-long international run, filmmaker Aditya Kriplani is gearing up to release his film Main Actor Nahin Hoon in India.
The Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Satarupa-starrer revolves around a struggling actor in Mumbai who connects with a melancholic retired banker in Frankfurt through virtual acting lessons. Speaking to mid-day, Kriplani said, “We have a very able distributor in Platoon One Films, headed by Shiladitya Bora. They’ve backed smaller films, like Newton [2017] that have gone on to do very well. So we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Aditya Kriplani
In an industry where screens are often dominated by big-ticket spectacles, the question of space looms at large for intimate, dialogue-driven cinema. “That’s always a concern,” he admits. “But Nawazuddin Siddiqui brings credibility. He has carried many films as a lead in theatres. So we’re hopeful.” Kriplani also draws confidence from the overwhelming response at the film’s premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose. “It was a 600-seater theatre, completely full,” he recalls. “I’m really excited that the film has come home.”
Did you know?
Main Actor Nahin Hoon was shot across two locations simultaneously in 28 days.
