One of NFDC’s finest international co-production’s, Qissa – The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, was recently screened at Whistling Woods, one of the prestigious film and media institutes in the country. The screening was organized to enable the students to get an insight into the making of Qissawhich was followed by an interactive session where director Anup Singh along with actors Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Duggal, the editor of the film Param Kamdar and Vikramjit Roy from NFDC were present.
The entire session was filled with humorous anecdotes and conversations where the director called himself the actual ghost of the film and the source of the title. The stunning actresses, Rasika Duggal and Tilottama Shome also shared some light moments with the crowd, about how they used to feel clueless with the uncanny guidelines which would baffle them in the beginning. But once they would carry the instructions out, it would be a beautiful revelation. Tillotama Shome shared her experience of learning the mannerisms of a man, by watching two Dilip Kumar films, Aan and Tarana.
The students who were present also interacted with the cast about the intricacies in making a film like Qissa and sought the director’s perspective on certain scenes from the film. The most significant one was where the director shared a slice of his life’s journey of discovering a new home and then being able to express his feelings and thoughts through this epic film.
Qissa is perhaps the first film in recent times to continuously get positive reviews and garner high critical acclaim in India. The film which released in theatres, online and on DVD on the 20th of February 2015, has been praised for its brilliant, haunting theme and will continue to unfurl long after its theatrical run!
