Bollywood filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee with leading lady Esha Deol bagged the prestigious Indian International Film Festival of Boston Award (IIFFB) for their Hindi film Ek Duaa. Produced by Esha Deol and Bharat Takhtani the film deals with the social cause of gender inequality. Written by Avinash Mukherjee, the film is directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
Unfortunately Ram Kamal and Esha Deol couldn't attend the award ceremony in Boston because of their work commitments in India. "I was busy with pre-production of my Bengali film Binodiini-Ekti Natir Upakhyan in Kolkata, while Esha was shooting for her web series Hunter in Mumbai. Though we both wanted to attend the screening of the film, somehow due to our prior commitments we couldn't make it," says director Ram Kamal Mukherjee. The film was received with thunderous applause from international jury members and audiences.
Lead actor and producer Esha Deol Takhtani says, "Ek Duaa is very close to my heart, and will always be. I am thankful to jury members and founder of IIFFB, Razia Mashkoor, for honouring our film with Best Social Cause Film. When my director Ram Kamal narrated the story, I was sure that I would like to be a part of this journey. This film also marks my debut as a producer, so it's all the more special. I am happy that international audiences are bestowing love on our film." Esha worked with Ram Kamal in his debut short film Cakewalk in 2019.
The Festival Committee was gracious enough to courier the trophy to India, but Ram Kamal and Esha Deol had to wait until both finished their projects. "I was in Kolkata when the trophy arrived, and Esha was busy shooting her Hindi film in Mumbai. So we had to wait until we both figured out time to strike a pose with our trophy and celebrate the success," he added.
Festival Founder Razia Mashkoor from Boston says, "The city of Boston has the unique distinction of boasting over 35,000 students of Indian origin. India International Film Festival of Boston (IIFFB) engages the cultural diversity of South Asia through our programming. Ram Kamal's Ek Duaa was a hard hitting film that touched everyone's heart. Esha Deol as Abida was heartwarming and it was one of her finest performances."
Ek Duaa features Rajveer Ankur Singh, Shreyansh Nick Nag and Barbie Sharma. Music composed by Shailendra Kumar and 9Emotions, cinematography by Modhura Palit and edited by Bodhaditya Bandyopadhyay. Noted Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan recited a Hindi poem on girl child for this film written by Shonnet Berreto. Produced under the banner of Bharat Esha Films and Assorted Motion Pictures the film is currently streaming on Voot.
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