Producer Kartikeya Narayan Singh finds his next gem - Ashish Pant's "Uljhan"/ "The Knot"

 

National: Producer Kartikeya Narayan Singh is back with another debutant director and another film that is winning accolades in the festival circuit. Ashish Pant's directorial "Uljhan/The Knot" or the Knot opened to very complimentary reviews at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and is now slated for a screening in the competition section of Iffla.

Kartikeya Narayan Singh has earlier produced, The Firm land, Anhey Ghorey da Dan, The Fourth Direction, Soni and Kanhaur.

"Uljhan/The Knot", starring Saloni Batra (Soni) and Vikas Kumar (Hamid), is the story of a married couple Geeta and Shirish, in a car accident where they have injured a pedestrian. Uljhan/The Knot is about their life after that accident and how they deal with its practical and emotional implications.

Debut director Ashish Pant says “my journey for 'Uljhan/The Knot' began when I applied to Film Bazaar, the largest co-production market for South Asian Films by NFDC. The script for 'Uljhan/The Knot' was one of the 18 projects selected for the co-production market where I met Kartikeya whose work I admire and on my urging, he agreed to read the script and Uljhan/The Knot came to life".

Talking about his association with Ashish Pant film producer Kartikeya Narayan Singh says “I am always on the lookout for emerging and new directorial talent. Having read the script and meeting Ashish at the NFDC Film Bazaar, I immediately recognized that this was talent-driven by integrity, focus, hard work, and craftsmanship. As a producer, I am always in search of directors with the right balance of craft and diligence. With the right meeting of minds, one can work together on all else starting with the further development of a script”.

The film has been produced by Route one Productions in association with Kartikeya Narayan Singh and Christopher Zalla.

A few reviews from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival:

“Shirish and Geeta are expertly portrayed by Kumar and Batra. The two have natural chemistry and also ease on screen. The Knot explores the class structure, hierarchy, and changing India through an unfortunate accident and the differing attitudes of its well-realized characters. Watch it.” – David Stark, watchorpass.com

“Performances across the board are wonderful and the look of the film is lush. Pant uses subtle shifts in language, music, and dialect to illustrate caste. It’s such an intelligent and daring screenplay. The Knot boasts an explosive finale. The very last pan of the camera and the breaking of the fourth wall is chilling.” – Liz Whittemore, reelnewsdaily.com

“A powerful cast, solid soundtrack, and personal camera angles make for a beautiful, character-driven film that reflects on India’s cast system.” – Laurie Coker, trueviewreviews.com

“What The Knot does so well is to tell a story that highlights the differences in class and gender bias in Indian society, but never make it feel like it’s preaching to the audience. Pant’s script carefully weaves his story with small moments that make the characters question their actions and as they do, it feels more like a natural progression than a plot contrivance.” – Joel Fisher, battleroyalewithcheese.com

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