World premiere of Manoj Bajpayee-starrer 'Joram' at Rotterdam fest

Mumbai, Dec 20 (IANS) The survival thriller 'Joram', which stars Manoj Bajpayee, is set to have its world premiere in the Big Screen Competition section at the 52nd edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

The film festival is to be held from January 26 to February 6 in the Netherlands.

'Joram', according to the film's logline, narrates the story of a bereaved father who must be on the run with his baby girl across half the country to escape the ghosts of his past and the forces that want him dead at any cost.

The film, directed by Devashish Makhija, marks the third collaboration between the director and Manoj Bajpayee after their short film 'Tandav' and the 2020 feature 'Bhonsle', for which 'The Family Man' star got the National Award for best actor.

Talking about their creative partnership, Bajpayee said: "I always remain very proud of my artistically fulfilling relationship with them."

Set in Jharkhand and Mumbai, 'Joram' is also Makhija's third film to be screened at the Rotterdam festival after 'Ajji' and 'Bhonsle'.

Recounting his experience, Bajpayee said: "It is a riveting story of a man torn between his past and present. I loved playing the intricate character, Darsu, who, on the outside, looks like an ordinary man who people may not even notice, but in no way is he a common man. A brilliant story with such impactful characters!"

Makhija said the film bridges the gap between artistic cinema and the mainstream. The lines dividing the two streams of filmmaking, he said, keep changing rapidly.

He said: "In its vision and its making, our film has sought to bridge that ever-shifting gap between artistic cinema and the mainstream, hopefully having pulled in the best of both."

The film also stars Zeeshan Ayyub, Smita Tambe and Megha Mathur, and features guest appearances by Tannishtha Chatterjee and Rajshri Deshpande.

Talking about his role, Ayyub said: "I play Ratnakar, a city-bred cop, who is low on the social ladder and therefore among his colleagues too. Being a city-bred person myself, to me this film, especially my first-ever trip into the forests to shoot it and the iron ore mines, made me realise how much of 'me' was in Ratnakar -- that my access to education and middle-class angst was a luxury compared to the bleak, stark and forever-on-the-edge lives the truly underprivileged live daily."

Presented by Zee Studios, 'Joram' will be released in India next year.