CityLights
Director: Hansal Mehta
India | Hindi
2014 | 127min | Colour
Subtitles: English
Sat, Nov 1
TIPA, 7:30 PM
A debt-ridden young man, Deepak, along with his small family, leaves the quiet of his rural existence seeking a better future in the city of dreams, Mumbai. His dreams of a better quality of life soon come crashing down as he finds the city of lights casting a dark shadow on his survival. Driven by desperation and determination to overcome the odds Deepak is ultimately able to find a job with perils that are far beyond the obvious. At its heart City Lights is a love story, a story about familial bonding, a thriller that explores the depths of human nature and a drama about sacrifice in the city of dreams. CityLights is about our world, our times and the ultimate emotion that drives every relationship – love.
Hansal Mehta
Hansal Mehta is an Indian film director and screenwriter, best known for ‘Shahid’ for which he won the 2013 National Film Award for Best Direction. Mehta started his career in 1993, with TV cookery show, ‘Khana Khazana’, hosted by Sanjeev Kapoor on Zee TV, where he worked till 2000. Meanwhile he also directed several short fiction based series like ‘Love Stories’ followed by ‘Rishtey’. He made his debut as a feature film director with ‘Jayate’ in 1997, this was followed by ‘Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!!’ (2000) based on the issue of migrants in Mumbai. ‘Shahid’ was a biographical film on the life of human rights lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was murdered in 2010. His film ‘City Lights’ released in 2014 is a social drama starring Rajkummar Rao and Patralekha in the lead roles. The film is a remake of the BAFTA nominated British film Metro Manila (2013).
Credits
Director: Hansal Mehta
Cinematographer: Dev Agarwal
Screenwriter: Ritesh Shah
Editor: Apurva Asrani
Producer: Mukesh Bhatt
Music: Jeet Gannguli
Production Company: Vishesh Films Pvt. Ltd.
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Patralekha, Manav Kaul
Festival Appearances & Awards:
Indian Film Festival Houston, 2014, Indian Film Festival Stuttgart, 2 Bollywood Festival Norway, 2014
