Vinod Rawat's Debut Feature PUSHTAINI to Make Its South Asia Premiere In Jio MAMI 2023

Vinod Rawat's debut feature Pushtaini to make its South Asia Premiere in Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 in the South Asian and South Asian diaspora films, a non-competition section. The festival will be held from October 27 - November 5, 2023.

Pushtaini is about Bhuppi, a struggling actor who finds himself caught in an embarrassing scandal and is desperate to secure his last chance at stardom. Forced to return to his home and face his past, Bhuppi travels through the mountains and shares adventures with strangers, unaware of what THE JOURNEY has in store for him.

The film marks Vinod's feature debut as an actor-director-writer-producer. Shot in his ancestral village in Uttrakhand, the film features non-professional actors including his own family members. The film is co-written by Rita Heer who also plays a prominent character in the film. 

Vinod shot to fame with the International Emmy Awards nominated series Aarya which he co-directed with Ram Madhvani. He also wrote and directed an award-winning short film MAD. Alumni from FTII, Vinod is also a leading acting coach and has coached stars like Hrithik Roshan, Sushmita Sen and Sonam Kapoor among others.

Excited about the MAMI premiere, actor-writer-director Vinod Rawat says, “Pushtaini is a deeply personal film. The idea originated when I visited my ancestral village in Uttarakhand and saw empty homes due to economic migration. My family left THE VILLAGE and moved to a metro city for better opportunities.” He adds, “It is quite special that my passion project and debut feature is making its India premiere in the prestigious Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, in a city which is also my karm bhumi.”

The producer Ankit Gandhi says, “I believe the film addresses important themes of grief, family ties, hope and resilience that will resonate with people from all walks of life. As an independent production house, we would like to champion unique voices and stories. We are excited to be part of such a great line-up in one the finest film festivals of India ”

The film is produced by Lotus Dust Pictures and VinRaw Films.

Synopsis 

A struggling Bollywood actor falls into deep despair when he finds himself caught in an embarrassing scandal. In a race against time to save his reputation and his last chance at stardom, he is forced to travel to his ancestral home in the mountains of Uttarakhand to ask his estranged family for help. However THE JOURNEY turns into an adventure with Bhuppi rekindling old relationships and making new friends in the process. Pushtaini is a dramedy about a working class father and his son Bhuppi and how they navigate notions of masculinity & family dynamics.

About Vinod Rawat 

Vinod Rawat is Mumbai based director-writer-actor. Vinod co-directed the International Emmy Awards nominated series Aarya with Ram Madhvani. He also wrote and directed an award-winning short film MAD and associated with acclaimed  films like Neerja, Titli  His debut feature as a writer-director-actor Pushtaini is making its World premiere at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023. Pushtaini was part of 2022 NFDC Film Bazaar's 20 Recommended Films.

Vinod grew up between a working class neighbourhood in Delhi and his ancestral village in the mountains of Uttarakhand. After graduating from Film & Television Institute (FTII), he has steadily worked in the industry as a casting director, actor, director and writer.  

Vinod  is known in the industry as one of the leading acting coaches and has coached stars like Hrithik Roshan among others. He was a casting director and acting coach on Titli which premiered in Un Certain Regard in the Cannes Film Festival. He founded a Mumbai based film production house VinRaw Films. 

About Lotus Dust Pictures 

Lotus Dust Pictures was set up with an intention to create stories from the Indian subcontinent with universal themes and resonance. Ancestral/Pushtaini is the company's first feature film. Lotus Dust is now branching into other forms and genres building a repository of short films, features and OTT content.

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