Platoon One Films backs Indian drama 'Kidney' for Tallinn
Indian drama 'Kidney' is heading to Tallinn with new backing behind it.
Shiladitya Bora's Platoon One Films has joined the film as co-producer, an organisation sharing production costs and duties, ahead of its slot in the Critics' Picks Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, as reported by Variety on 14 October.
The Critics' Picks section is a competitive strand. Films in such strands play for festival audiences, critics and industry guests, and a place there puts a new title in front of people who can shape its next steps.
'Kidney' is the second feature from filmmaking siblings Aakarsh and Agrim Sansanwal, according to Variety. It is made through Enfant Terrible Productions, the Mumbai production house the brothers set up to carry their own work.
The story unfolds in an isolated Indian village. It centres on a young man and a young woman from feuding families who fall in love. Love meets old grudges. Their relationship comes under strain when a quarrel over an inheritance revives past hostilities between the two sides.
The brothers work as a writing and directing team. The brothers direct as a pair. Aakarsh learned the craft as an assistant director, the on-set role that keeps a shoot running to schedule, for Reema Kagti, Abhinay Deo and Pushpendra Misra. Agrim worked beside editor Deepa Bhatia, who shapes raw footage into the final cut, on 'Skater Girl'.
Their first film together was 'To Caterpillar, From Butterfly'. The brothers co-wrote and co-directed the experimental feature. It debuted at the Dharamshala International Film Festival, a showcase in northern India with a strong focus on independent work. That debut gave the pair an early festival credit before this larger competition outing.
Platoon One Films arrives with a long record in independent Indian cinema. Led by Bora, its slate includes 'Bayaan', 'Toh Ti Ani Fuji', 'Bhagwan Bharose', 'Minimum', 'Ghaath', 'Picasso' and 'Yours Truly', as listed by Variety. The company has regularly backed director-led projects outside the mainstream studio system.
What makes this stand out is the combination. A young sibling team with one experimental credit now brings a village love story to a European competition with an experienced independent producer alongside them. For audiences, it means a small, family-made drama will get a prominent festival hearing.
