Cash-strapped Indian filmmaker gets a Dubai miracle

Dubai - His movie will soon hit the theatres in New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai.

National award-winning Indian filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky believes in miracles. Like the boxer who gets back on his feet despite facing a barrage of punches in the ring, Kotoky is an iron-willed man whose passion could light up even the darkest corners of your mind.
Who else would have remained upbeat despite facing a severe cash crunch to release his Assamese film Xoixobote Dhemalite (Rainbow Fields) - a movie that deals with the emotional turmoil of children who grew up in riot-hit Assam and one that bagged the best foreign film award at the Hollywood International Cinefest in Los Angeles?
Even a failed online crowdfunding campaign couldn't extinguish Kotoky's flame.
Eventually, Kotoky's refusal to give up hope connected him with Dubai. Jani Vishwanath, a Dubai-based Indian philanthropist, came to Kotoky's rescue by offering him the funds he needed to pay the post-production studio for the movie's commercial release.
"Well, the miracle did happen! Out of the blue, I got a call from a lady whose existence I didn't know till recently and whom I've not met in my life till date. She came on board and provided us with the necessary amount to release the film in Assam. She had no other connection with Assam. But, she will be coming to Assam to join us for our film's premiere and we are looking forward to meeting our guardian angel," Kotoky wrote to people who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign on the eve of the movie's Guwahati premier in January.
Now thanks to Kotoky's 'guardian angel', the movie will soon hit the theatres in New Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai.

Jani Vishwanath, a Dubai-based Indian philanthropist
When Vishwanath, who runs a foundation called Healing Lives that works for underprivileged children in Africa and India, came to know from her Mumbai-based friends about Kotoky's struggle to release a film that deals with children in a conflict zone, she felt an urge to save the project.
"I had no idea about the movie. I just knew that Assam is a beautiful state in India, but beyond that I didn't know anything," Vishwanath told Khaleej Times.
"Some of my Mumbai-based friends told me that there is this director who is struggling to release his movie. I am not a movie buff, but when I saw the subject matter of this film, it resonated with me because I grew up in war-torn places like Kabul. So, it is very important for me to throw light on any situation that affects children," she added.
"So I wanted to make sure that the film is released. And the subject of the film is not only relevant to Assam, it's also relevant to Syria, Jordan, Afghanistan, Palestine, Libya or Iraq. You know, it's relevant to every place where we don't give the opportunity to children to grow into normal human beings."
Remarkably, Vishwanath, who joined the film as executive producer, refused to accept the profits from the movie. She has decided to donate the profits to charity in Assam.
"There is a blind school in Assam and there is another children's rehabilitation centre where we have decided to help. I believe each one of us has a purpose to fulfill in this world. So for me the cause is more wonderful that anything else," she said.
"And, you know, movies like this evoke the right emotion. It's so wonderful to know that there are people like Bidyut (Kotoky) who want to make a difference. He loves the art of movies and he is so sincere in telling such stories. People like him are the beacons of hope."
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

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