New Delhi, June 10 (IANS) "Uljhan/The Knot", directed by Ashish Pant, will have its Asia premiere in Shanghai International Film Festival as official selection in the SIFF Gala section. SIFF is one of the largest film festivals in Asia, and will be held from June 11 to June 20 this year. "Uljhan/The Knot" will be screened on June 13 and 14.

The film features Saloni Batra and Vikas Kumar, and tells the story of a married couple involved in a car accident where they injure a pedestrian. The film is about how the incident impacts their lives and how they deal with its practical and emotional implications.

In its description of the film, the SIFF press catalogue states: "A middle-class couple drove and knocked down someone. The two had completely different attitudes towards the accident, which caused an unbridgeable crack in their relationship. The film uses a realistic style to discuss issues such as class contradictions and materialism in contemporary Indian society, and question whether the middle class can help promote social progress. Director Pant repeatedly uses Ozu's "cross-axis" dialogue and scheduling in the film, so that the subjective point of view of the character coincides with the point of view of the audience, so as to ask the audience's soul. Although the film is Pant's feature film debut, it is particularly sophisticated in its handling of characters and social themes."

The film was recently screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) and Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles (IFFLA).

"On behalf of the entire team that made The Knot I feel humbled and honoured to have our Asian premiere at Shanghai International Film Festival. I really hope that The Knot's universal themes resonate with the audience at SIFF. I'd like to thank the selectors at SIFF and Kyoko Dan for giving The Knot this platform to reach audiences in China," said director Pant.

"I am happy that Uljhan has found itself at such a prestigious platform. It is a matter of great honour for Ashish to be a part of the as official selection in the SIFF Gala section at Shanghai International Film Festival. We are very grateful to the selection committee of the festival to show us their love and appreciation. The cast and crew of the film are very excited to bring the film to the Chinese audiences. Sadly, the pandemic has kept us from travelling to the festival, the opportunity is sourly missed," added producer Kartikeya Narayan Singh.

Vikas Kumar was glad that the film was "getting a chance to reach the audience in China", while his co-actor Saloni Batra felt the screening at Shanghai would "help us reach a wider global audience"