India’s Rajshri Deshpande, star of Rotterdam winner “Sexy Durga” and hit Netflix series “Trial by Fire,” headlines “Privacy,” the first teaser for which has been unveiled.
The film will have its world premiere at Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan).
“Privacy” is a voyeuristic social thriller set in and around the slums of Mumbai. It follows Roopali (Deshpande), who works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. While being ambitious, she constantly fights her own guilt and resists her dark past. Things start to get complicated when Roopali ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery and murder that takes place on her watch. The film takes the neo-noir approach to explore themes of mental health, voyeurism and access to information.
The film is directed by Sudeep Kanwal, known for his acclaimed shorts “Silent Wave” and “Dhund.” “Privacy” is his debut feature.
“The access to personal data by big corporations should be a topic of concern. Yet, we don’t hear much about it. There are no strict regulations against collection of data. Even though the film is based around a CCTV control room. The theme of losing privacy to technology is similar to what’s happening to all of us on a daily basis. I hope the film can make the viewer aware of privacy issues that surround us,” Kanwal said.
“I have always been fascinated with the concept of surveillance. From the Peeping Tom concept of ‘Rear Window,’ to the eavesdropping world of ‘The Conversation,’ or the modern micro surveillance depicted in ‘Snowden,’ it just shows how interested we are in the lives of other people. But, the important question is how much access to someone’s private life is okay? Should an institution have unlimited access to personal information? Wouldn’t that lead to an Orwellian dystopia?,” Kanwal added.
The cast also includes Nishank Verma and Sandesh Kulkarni. The film is produced by Fundamental Pictures in association with House of Talent Studio. Producers are Shlok Sharma and Navin Shetty with Ranjit Gugle serving as executive producer.
BiFan runs June 29-July 9.
Watch the teaser here:
