Mumbai: The film fraternity turned up in full force at the special screening of Sulemani Keeda, ‘the little big film’ as called by Shekhar Kapur’ which was held to celebrate the warm reception to the film and the birthday of the lead actress Aditi Vasudev.
The night of the ‘double celebration’ saw eminent filmmaker, Shekhar Kapur, who expressed keen interest in watching the film, Mallika Sherawat, Ayushman Khurana, Vinay Pathak, Raghu Ram and Nagesh Kukunoor in attendance. Others spotted at the screening included Ruchi Narain, Viraf Patel, Vrajesh Hirjee, Gaurav Gera, Harsh Chhaaya, and Namit Das.
A refreshing new-age slacker comedy, directed by debutant director Amit V Masurkar and starring Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev released this week and has won the hearts of young audiences and critics, while garnering renewed excitement from the film fraternity.
Celebrity quotes:
Upon watching and enjoying the film and hearing about the film’s incredibly low budget, Shekhar Kapur took a special interest in the film. “It is very interesting, very fascinating and very different. I loved the little big film. It’s truly a little big film. It’s not the budget. It’s the quality. I don’t think the team quite knows what they’ve achieved.” He said.
Ayushmann Khurana heard from his agents at Yash Raj Talent about a special screening of the film, which was held amongst the film’s growing fan base to celebrate the birthday of lead actress, Aditi Vasudev. “The film is a dark horse. It’s very raw, organic, real and a breath of fresh air,” said Khurana.
Mallika Sherawat found the film to be “hilarious” and said “the performances are brilliant. “
Vinay Pathak found it to be “a film with so much heart and substance! I think every cinema lover must watch this …This is who we are, or may I say what we have come to…It’s a film with the most right intentions, and the absolute courageous faith…People should definitely watch it.”
Director Nagesh Kukunoor was also impressed. “Sulemani Keeda is outstanding, brilliant, and funny. I absolutely loved the film. The script was very original and innovative. It’s smart film making.”
Roadies host Raghu [Ram] had a great time watching the film. “The biggest USP of the film is that it is thoroughly enjoyable and natural. It’s a total time pass.”
Masurkar passionately peddled his script around Bollywood in 2011. While producers and studios enjoyed the script, they weren’t quite sure what to do with it. Eventually, Masurkar partnered with Tulsea Pictures, which encouraged him to make the film guerilla style. After Tulsea emptied its coffers, Mantra/Runaway Entertainment boarded the film to take it to the finish line.
“It’s a labor of love” said Masurkar. “We shot the film in 15L and finished it in less than 30L.”
Sulemani Keeda is currently playing at select PVR and INOX theaters in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Kolata, and Ahmedabad. Tickets are available on www.bookmyshow.com.
