Vadodara: A Gujarati film based on a gay relationship has got one step closer to being nominated for the Oscar awards. Directed by a Vadodara-based filmmaker, ‘ Katla Curry ' is set to be shown at the prestigious Tasveer Film Festival – a South Asian Film Festival – in the US next month. "If the film wins an award in the festival, it will be nominated for the Oscars.
I am hopeful that Katla Curry will make it to the Oscars," said Rohit Prajapati, producer and director of the film that is based on love between two young men shot in a tribal district of central Gujarat. It is only the second Gujarati film based on homosexual relationships. The first Gujarati film based on a gay relationship, ‘Meghdhanushya,' was made in 2013.
In Katla Curry, one of the key characters, Rimal, is a fisherman. The other boy, Ratan, gets caught in his net while fishing in the river. Rimal saves Ratan's life, and the former helps him build a small makeshift house near the river.
They both meet regularly and fall in love. Ratan is a vegetarian, but he learns to make Katla Curry (a fish cuisine) for Rimal, who savours the dish. Under social pressure, Rimal gets married to a girl, and the film takes an interesting turn.
"The entire film was shot with just 10 crew members," Prajapati, 31, told TOI. The 110-minute long film was shown at a film festival in Mumbai some months ago. "I am looking forward to releasing this film in theatres and on the OTT platform, for which I need some support from the production houses and the govt," Prajapati, who runs a theatre group ‘Geet Theatre' in Vadodara, added.
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