Mumbai: Kanu Behl’s next short film ‘Binnu Ka Sapna’ to be released on MUBI India channel on 22nd December 2019.
Written and Directed by Kanu Behl, it is the first short film launched on MUBI India and will run for 30 days after its release date.
The short film had its World Premiere at the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2019 and was the only Indian Film competing at the festival.
Binnu Ka Sapna won Student Jury Award 2019 at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2019 and Best Indian Short Film at 10th Jagran Film Festival 2019.
Click here to watch the trailer – https://vimeo.com/313753898/
Produced by Terribly Tiny Talkies and Colosceum Media, Binnu Ka Sapna is a 32-minute narrative short that plunges into a malignant psyche, exposing the ticking time bombs around us and the sparks that set them off. It goes through the harrowing transformation of a victim into an attacker, with society only serving as a catalyst. It marks the debut of Chetan Sharma as the titular Binnu.
Kanu Behl the director of Binnu Ka Sapna said, “Binnu Ka Sapna is a long dreamt, much-cherished dream. I’m elated that it’s found its home at MUBI, and will be available to the audiences in India and around the world. We look forward, me together will all its creators, to the wounds it opens and the debate it generates; eager to hear voices.”
Anuj Gosalia, CEO, Terribly Tiny Tales said, “At TTT, we tell stories that help us reimagine our cultural comfort zone. Binnu Ka Sapna is that film for us. It’s unsettling and expects the audience to put in the work too. The payoff is a haunting quiet that stays long after the film is over. After winning at Clermont-Ferrand and Jagran Film Festival, MUBI feels like the natural home for Binnu Ka Sapna and we’re thrilled to partner with them.”
Lalit Sharma, CEO, Colosceum Media Pvt. Ltd said, “We are ecstatic at MUBI’s entry into India, even more so because of the MUBI’s INDIA channel. It’s a privilege to find our humble attempt at understanding and looking at ourselves as a society, Binnu Ka Sapna finding a place in MUBI’s hand-picked India film channel. Binnu Ka Sapna sets out to explore the society’s role in examining a perpetrator long before they commit a crime. Kanu’s vision and nuanced approach dwells into this ticking bomb and serves it to you as it is. We are glad that Binnu Ka Sapna will finally be available for an Indian audience after having its successful festival run.”
Svetlana Naudiyal, Director of Content for MUBI India said, “Binnu Ka Sapna is an outstanding film with a story that needs to be told on a large scale. As the first short we’re going to show on MUBI INDIA, the film is bold, memorable and makes a powerful statement about how patriarchy runs through generations. Kanu is an incredibly talented filmmaker and we can’t wait to show more of his films on MUBI soon.”
Guneet Monga, Oscar-winning producer and content advisor for MUBI said, “I’ve admired Kanu’s work for a long time and his ability to tell uncomfortable but relevant stories through film is world-class. Binnu Ka Sapna blew us away when we first saw it and I immediately knew that it needed to be shown to a wide audience. We are honoured to show it on MUBI and can’t wait to see what Kanu does next.”
Synopsis
Binnu has grown up hearing about his mother’s first slap, 25 years ago; hit by his father merely for emerging from the same room as her own brother-in-law. Many years later, he leaves home. At a party, he sleeps with his Boss’ daughter,who he falls in love with. But things don’t go as planned. Binnu leaves town. Engaging in another romance in another city. But something is not quite right. Slowly, a strange paranoia begins to engulf his being. ‘Binnu Ka Sapna’ delves deep into a malignant mindset, trying to bare the ticking time bombs around us and illuminate the wicks that light them.
Director’s Statement
In a country of 6.2 billion people, with the male-female ratio hopelessly skewed, repression is par for the course. Love often metamorphoses into a ‘till-death-do-us-part’ chokehold. Blood red rage is entrenched into swathes of masculinity floating about. And before one knows, the damage is done. ‘Binnu Ka Sapna’ attempts to look deep into the belly of a perpetrator and distill the agony.
Binnu’s life constructs itself around building an impossible dream – recreating the ‘Love Nest’ he’s seen as an adolescent. He’s desperate to feed lovingly made cups of tea to someone. But does he know how to love? Does he even know how to listen? Or is it just lust for ‘Love’?
Binnu has sex with himself while fucking a real woman. Roams street corners looking at seductively sold brands. His head screams trying to exorcise ghosts from stories only heard. Hatred brews for a brash, violent Father; derision bubbles for the ever-servile Mother. An uncertain anger froths at past injustices only felt, never quite understood.
The film is my attempt to understand the anger within. I went through a period where I raged and destroyed everything in my path. Irretrievably, irrevocably. Where did the roots of that anger lie? Did the anger root from a focal core or was it a constantly mutating unrecognizable beast? Its consequences and ripples, either way, rested on my individual doorstep.
Director’s Biography
After dabbling in radio, copywriting, acting and theatre, Kanu Behl studied at the Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute, Kolkata, majoring in Film Direction. His first documentary, ‘An Actor Prepares’ landed in competition at Cinema du Reel. Next, he directed and produced three more docs for NHK Japan, ZDF and ARTE.
In 2010, he co-wrote LSD with Dibakar Banerjee. In 2014, his debut feature TITLI premiered at Un Certain Regard, Cannes. The film has since won 8 international awards including the NETPAC and the Best First Foreign Film (2015) from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. TITLI travelled to over 22 film festivals , including IFFR Rotterdam, AFI, BFI London and Goteborg.
FILMOGRAPHY –
1. An Actor Prepares/23 mins/Documentary/2007
2. Mila Kya/ 56 mins/Documentary/2008
3. Three Blind men/ 7 mins/Documentary/2009
4. Titli/ 112 mins/Fiction/2014
About MUBI
MUBI is a curated streaming service. An ever-changing collection of hand-picked films. From new directors to award-winners. From everywhere on earth. Beautiful, interesting, incredible movies — a new one, every single day. Always chosen by us. MUBI is available to watch in 190 countries, and the films we pick are guided by local cultures and cinema. We are the world’s biggest community of film-lovers, with over 9 million members around the globe. You can stream or download all our movies, anytime. On any screen or device, anywhere. And you’ll never see a single ad on MUBI. Ever. And with MUBI GO, our members also get a hand-picked cinema ticket, every single week, to see the best new films, in real cinemas.
About Terribly Tiny Talkies
Terribly Tiny Tales is one of India’s most celebrated storytelling platforms. Founded by Anuj Gosalia in 2013, what started out as a passion project is now a beloved brand on social media with a large and loyal following of over 2 million people. TTT is read by over 15 million readers, every week and has contributions from over a 100,000 thousand writers from across the world. Terribly Tiny Talkies, it’s short films brand, has produced over 30 of the country’s finest short films winning many international awards along with a Filmfare. As a platform, we deeply believe in the power of stories and their ability to shape the world.
About Colosceum Media
Colosceum Media Pvt Ltd is India’s fastest growing Independent-Multi-genre content firm. A strong belief in creative insight, used to deliver content that speaks and connects with a global audience defines the core of the company. This has led to the emergence of a highly talented and experienced core team of professionals led by CEO Lalit Sharma. Colosceum has now produced over 1800 hours of content across short fiction, branding and television; and is now making its foray into feature fiction and limited series.
