The Vancouver International Film Festival will screen acclaimed Indian writer and director Nikhil Mahajan’s Godavari. The film’s world premiere will be on October 4th . Godavari will screen virtually throughout the festival’s run and in-person on October 4th and 10th as a part of the Contemporary World Cinema lineup.
Godavari centers on Nishikant, a man who walks through the town of Nashik, collecting rent for his family of landowners. Each repetition of the cycle only intensifies his bitterness and anger towards his tenants, his family, and the river that runs through the center of Nashik, the Godavari. Just as his anger threatens to boil over, his family is confronted with a series of tragedies and revelations that shift their lives and their world into clearer focus.
With each new bombshell, the struggles and melancholy of a hard life are tested against the values of the past, all set along and resonant to the river itself, a mysterious object that may be irretrievably contaminated or eternally resilient, depending on who you ask—and when. What ensues is a film teeming with an energy of reinvigoration, given wings by its ensemble of complex characters and an unforgettable leading performance by Jitendra Joshi as Nishikant. Godavari isn’t only an intimate drama, it’s a cleansing experience, one steeped in the wisdom of tradition, compassion, and acceptance.
Filmed in India in the Marathi language, Godavari stars a who’s who of Indian talent including the film’s lead actor Jitendra Joshi (Sacred Games, Ventilator) who has headlined numerous Marathi feature films including award-winning Ventilator and his turn as the lovable police constable Katekar in Netflix’s first Original Indian series Sacred Games. Alongside Joshi, Godavari also stars Sanjay Mone (Dhyasparva), Vikram Gokhle (Anumati), Neena Kulkarni (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Gauri Nalawade (The Disciple), and Priyadarshan Jadhav (Bhootatlela).
Godavari marks a new beginning for Mumbai-based filmmaker Nikhil Mahajan, who is best known for his work directing the neo-noir Pune 52, vigilante action film Baji and the Netflix Original zombie horror series Betaal by Blumhouse. With Godavari, Mahajan shifts gears seamlessly into a dramatic space after a 6-year hiatus from filmmaking. It marks a decided metamorphosis of directorial style and vision and is his most personal film to date.
Godavari was produced by Blue Drop Films and Jitendra Joshi Pictures, written, directed, and produced by Nikhil Mahajan, co-written by Prajakt Deshmukh, and produced by and starring Jitendra Joshi. The film was produced by Pavan Malu, Mitali Joshi, executive produced by Swapnil Bhangale and Shamin Kulkarni was the director of photography.
The Vancouver International Film Festival Launches on Friday, October 1st, and runs through October 11th, 2021.
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