If you missed it, the 34th Venice Critics Week at the Venice Film Festival announced its opening film as the animation film Bombay Rose by Gitanjali Rao, a United Kingdom, India, and France co-production, out of competition. The film is also playing at the Toronto Film Festival.
Bombay Rose is inspired by the romance of Bollywood and told through exquisite hand-painted animation created by award-winning animator Gitanjali Rao. Based on true events, and painted frame by frame and woven delicately through music, a red rose brings together three tales of impossible loves. Love between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy. Love between two women. Love of an entire city for its Bollywood stars. Watch the trailer here.
The voiceover cast includes Cayli Vivek Khare, Amit Deondi, Gargi Shitole, and Makrand Deshpande in the titular roles. The film producer credits include Rohit Khattar, Anand Mahindra and companies Cinestaan Film Company and Les Films d’Ici. Bombay Rose has been written, edited and directed by Gitanjali Rao.
Rao graduated with honours as a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai, in 1994. She is a self-taught animator, filmmaker, illustrator, teacher and theatre artist. She has since, independently produced, directed and animated three internationally award-winning short films, Orange, Printed Rainbow and True Love Story. But some of you might remember her as Shiuli’s mother in Shoojit Sircar’s wondrous 2018 film October, for which we earned a Filmfare Award nomination too.
The 76th Venice International Film Festival will run from 28 August to 7 September 2019. Bombay Rose will play in Venice on 29 and 30 August for the public, where it is also competing for the Queer Lion Award against eight other titles (subject to change/ additions). The 44th Toronto International Film Festival will run from 5 – 15 September 2019, where Bombay Rose will play on 7, 8 and 14 September. Grab your tickets now.