Filmmaker Vasan Bala's "Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota" received a thunderous response at its India premiere at the JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Friday night.
The film chronicles the story of a young man born without pain receptors who longs to defeat 100 opponents in a kumite tournament.
The action-comedy recently bagged People's Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section at Toronto International Film Festival.
Vasan said he always wanted to make a film about karate and martial arts, and the movie is from a "film fan making a film."
"It was not supposed to be in a scary zone but grounded in reality and still have a character, whose life has been like mine. Like all of us here have been beaten up in school, then planned revenge for months and then you learn karate and do nothing about it," the director said.
The film stars Abhimanyu Dassani, Radhika Madan, Gulshan Devaiah, Mahesh Manjrekar, Jimit Drivedi.
Radhika, who recently featured in "Pataakha", said it was only by chance that she bagged the film.
"I had gone to audition for some other film. I was doing my film's audition when someone came to me and asked, 'Do you know action?' I said, 'No.' Then I was asked if I was flexible. I said yes because I dance. I showed some moves and next day, I met sir (Vasan) and he told me, 'You are Supri' (her character)."
To which Vasan replied, "The casting there happening was for 'Laila Majnu' and 'Student of the Year 2'. So, I had no other option. We had to smuggle her out of 'Laila Majnu'."
The movie is backed by Ronnie Screwvala through his RSVP Films. Screwvala said "Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota" will release theatrically across the country early next year.
"We were earlier looking for November release. The film got a fabulous response at Toronto Film Festival and will now be travelling at a few other festivals. So, we are looking at January-February release," he said.
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