Soul of Sand
Encyclopedia
Soul of Sand is a 2010 Indian
drama film
directed by Sidarth Srinivasan, about a lower caste watchman, Bhanu Kumar who stands guard at his master Lakhmichand Ahlawat's abandoned silica mine on the outskirts of Delhi. It film deals with issues of caste system and land politics, feudalism
and the urbanization of the Delhi NCR (National Capital Region). The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
on 12 September, 2010.
, India
in 1975. He graduated with a degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College at Delhi University. His debut short, Swamohita, premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival
in 2000, and his first feature, The Divine Vision, won Best Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor at the Karachi International Film Festival in 2001. Soul of Sand is his second feature film.
’s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF). The film was shot digitally in Haryana
and Delhi using a 24p Sony CineAlta
F900R high-definition camera. Having applied for the grant, the shooting stretched to over a period of three-years, subsequently the director ran into huge debt before the grant came through. The editing was done 4-5 months, using 30 hours footage to create 99-minute final cut.
in September, 2010, under the Discovery section. The was also shown as International Film Festival Rotterdam
as a part of HBF Harvest 2011: Bright Future section, for film produced with Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) funding. This also ensured its distribution through in the Benelux
countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and a European premiere in Rotterdam.
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Sidarth Srinivasan, about a lower caste watchman, Bhanu Kumar who stands guard at his master Lakhmichand Ahlawat's abandoned silica mine on the outskirts of Delhi. It film deals with issues of caste system and land politics, feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
and the urbanization of the Delhi NCR (National Capital Region). The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented Score: A Hockey Musical, a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...
on 12 September, 2010.
About the Director
Sidharth Srinivasan was born in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1975. He graduated with a degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College at Delhi University. His debut short, Swamohita, premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 2000, and his first feature, The Divine Vision, won Best Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor at the Karachi International Film Festival in 2001. Soul of Sand is his second feature film.
Synopsis
A watchman and his wife living at an abandoned mine find themselves trapped in the brutal schemes of their tyrannical landlord in this suspenseful, visually striking drama set on the urban outskirts of Delhi. When the landlord offers his daughter to a wealthy potential buyer of the mine, she and her lower-caste lover run away. The watchman reluctantly helps them, but a sinister masked killer dispatched to hunt down the runaways endangers them all. A searing take on the politics of caste and money in a rapidly developing economy,Cast
- Dibyendu Bhattacharya - Bhanu Kumar
- Saba Joshi - Saroj Kumar
- Avtar Sahni - Lakhmichand Ahlawat
- Geeta Bisht - Twinkle Ahlawat
Production
The film was made with a grant from the International Film Festival RotterdamInternational Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
’s Hubert Bals Fund (HBF). The film was shot digitally in Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and Delhi using a 24p Sony CineAlta
CineAlta
Sony's CineAlta 24P HD Cameras are a series of professional digital video cameras that offer many of the same features of a 35mm motion picture film camera.- Concept :...
F900R high-definition camera. Having applied for the grant, the shooting stretched to over a period of three-years, subsequently the director ran into huge debt before the grant came through. The editing was done 4-5 months, using 30 hours footage to create 99-minute final cut.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival2010 Toronto International Film Festival
The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented Score: A Hockey Musical, a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. Last Night closed the festival on September 19.2010 TIFF included...
in September, 2010, under the Discovery section. The was also shown as International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
as a part of HBF Harvest 2011: Bright Future section, for film produced with Hubert Bals Fund (HBF) funding. This also ensured its distribution through in the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) and a European premiere in Rotterdam.