A dream come true

A still from the film

Actor Anshuman Jha is going places with his directorial debut, Lord Curzon Ki Haveli. The black comedy, starring Arjun Mathur, Rasika Duggal and Jha, is set for its European premiere at the genre festival, Razor Reel Flanders, at Brugge in Belgium on November 2.

Revolving around five Asians living in the UK and the identity crisis South Asians face there, the movie is Jha's modern-day homage to Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers as the actor-director has shot it entirely on a single 35 mm lens.

Anshuman Jha

Jha, who shot the movie in Yorkshire, including some crucial portions in the midst of Eunice, the biggest storm in Europe in 40 years, says, "Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is a pure genre film, in its truest sense, and I am so excited with this news. The curation at Razors Reel Flanders has been top notch over the years, and it was a dream to make the cut there. To have our European premiere there in the ‘Discovery' section is a big shot in the arm for us."

Lord Curzon Ki Haveli reportedly received a standing ovation during its North American premiere as the closing film at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) last month. Earlier this month, its Canadian premiere played to a full house during the International South Asian Film Festival (ISAFF) Vancouver.