Partho Sen Gupta 's "Sunrise", Review

Director Partho Sen-Gupta whose film Sunrise opened to great reviews at Film Festivals talks about his film, working with Bijon Das Gupta, studying at Paris film institute, being tongue-tied at Berlin after his first film’s screening and crowd funding for this film.

The anguish and guilt of a policeman whose young daughter has gone missing are powerfully conveyed in “Sunrise,” the first dramatic feature by Indian helmer Partho Sen-Gupta since the well-received “Let the Wind Blow” (2004). A gripping psychological drama set in the seediest quarters of Mumbai, the pic cleverly weaves fantasy and reality so that neither can be taken at face value. The result is an intense, very well-performed tale that will doubtless spark debate in India, where, according to the most recent government figures, a staggering 53% of children are reported to have experienced sexual abuse. Following its world premiere in Busan, “Sunrise” ought to notch significant festival mileage and is well worth the attention of specialty broadcasters. Local release details are pending.

With all but its first and final scenes taking place during frequently torrential rainfall, “Sunrise” opens with a virtually dialogue-free 10-minute sequence establishing the fractured existence of Lakshman Joshi (Adil Hussain, “Life of Pi”), a 50-ish inspector in the social-services division of the Mumbai police force. Following brief flashbacks of Joshi doting on his daughter, Aruna (Komal Gupta), and present-time footage of mundane activity at his workplace, the film cuts jaggedly to him frantically searching the streets for Aruna and chasing a shadowy figure through a dingy alley. The pursuit leads to Paradise, a bar frequented by drooling men hurling money at underage dancing girls.

"After months of delays in signing the contracts between the five co-producers, we started shooting Sunrise in June 2013 right at the start of the monsoon in Mumbai. DoP Jean Marc Ferriere flew to Mumbai to prepare the film with a RED epic camera with Camera Operator G. Monic Kumar who had also worked on my first film. Delhi based actor Adil Hussain moved to Mumbai two weeks before the start of shooting and we rehearsed together with Tannishtha Chatterjee and the other actors", says director Partho Sen-Gupta .