'The Brawler', 'Ajji' to screen at Singapore Film Festival

Three Indian films - "The Brawler", "Ajji" and "S Durga" have been selected to be screened at the 28th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF).

An international film platform for South East Asia and part of Singapore Media Festival, SGIFF, announced its full festival line-up of 112 films from 42 countries.

Directed by Anurag Kashyap, "The Brawler" ("Mukkabaaz") chronicles the story of a boxer from Uttar Pradesh, Shravan Singh, enacted by Vineet Kumar Singh, who falls in love with a Brahmin girl.

Things go awry when he punches the head of boxing federation and politician-gangster, Bhagwan Das (Jimmy Shergill). The story addresses the issues of deep-rooted caste divide and corruption in India.
 

"Ajji" is dark take by director Devashish Makhija on the classic fairy tale, "Red Riding Hood".

The story centres on a nine-year-old girl who is denied justice by the society after she is raped and how her old grandmother (ajji), played by Sushama Deshpande, turns a vigilante to send a message across.

The third film is psycho-thriller "S Durga" directed by independent Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan.

"Sexy Durga" is a road movie that follows the horrifying experience of two hitchhikers, a man (Kannan Nayar) and a woman (Rajshri Deshpande), at the hands of two men in the dead of the night.

The festival is set to showcase a diverse spread of films that stood out in the past one year from around the world from November 23 to December 3.

Speaking about the line-up this year, SGIFF programme director Pimpaka Towira said, "The demand for quality content has never been greater today. In the last one year, we have witnessed bold experimentation from film auteurs to showcase diversity in storylines, genres and styles, as they push the envelope in filmmaking."

"Staying true to our role as a vital focal point to uncover these gems and boundary-pushing creativity, this year's festival line-up provides an insight into the talent that permeates the region and showcases the promise of the industry here in Asia, she added.