Mumbai April 10, 2009: ‘Sikandar’, a poignant story from strife-torn Kashmir is all set to be screened at the 7th Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) on 22nd April to be held in Los Angeles. A co-production between BIG Pictures, the motion pictures brand from Reliance Big Entertainment Ltd and Sudhir Mishra’s production house CineRaas Ltd, Sikandar is a suspense thriller about an adolescent whose life changes drastically when he comes across a gun.
Written and directed by Piyush Jha, shot in location in Kashmir, with a running time of 110 minutes the film is about Sikandar who lives with his uncle and aunt in a small Kashmiri town. Now his life revolves round his foster parents, football, Nasreen, the new girl in town and dealing with some bullies. But life takes an unexpected (or was it expected?) turn when he picks up a gun from the ground. And thus, he gets drawn into the web of militants, power and violence.
The film deals with violence, but the central theme of the film is that of peace, says Piyush Jha, the talented director of Sikandar. The film does not have a jingoistic or partisan point of view, and does not take sides, except the side of humanity. Shot along the lines of a thriller this film brings us face to face with the ravages of war and the destruction of innocence.
Mahesh Ramanathan, COO-BIG Pictures expressed delight at the selection. “These are early results beginning to show up epitomizing our resolve to showcase the best of India’s cinema to the world. It is satisfying that a mainstream Hindi film has found notice ability within the Los Angeles’s film cognoscenti -the heart of Hollywood; prior to release. The development will further encourage us to push for opening new vistas globally for our regional art house film slate. We are happy that BIG Pictures is emerging as a well differentiated producer connecting with regional, local & global audiences with its brand of world cinema”
Sikandar casts Parzaan Dastur, the adorable little Sardar from film ‘Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai’, now in his teens, Ayesha Kapur of ‘Black’ fame as she makes her come-back as a lead actress and introduces Arunoday Singh in a key role. Also, lending their strength and verve are R. Madhavan and Sanjay Suri. The happening trio of Shankar Ehsaan- Loy, Sandesh Shandilya and Justin-Uday, have composed the music and is surely something to look forward to. Log on to the website http://broadband.bigflix.com/bigflicks/faces/Sikandar/index.html