Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar starrer Saand Ki Aankh has been loved by the audience and critics alike at a prestigious international film festival in China and received applause and standing ovation from them.
The overwhelming appreciation came during the film’s screening at the 3rd Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival (PYIFF). The event was held on 17 October in Pingyao city of Shanxi province in China.
The director of the film Tushar Hiranandani who is just back from the exhilarating experience says it is all unreal for him. “The audience at the Pingyao festival loved my film. They gave it a standing ovation. There were so many parties coming forward to buy the film, I was overwhelmed. It is hard for me to believe all this is happening to me.”
Talking about China as a market for Bollywood films, Tushar said, “They are keenly interested in our cinema. Saand Ki Aankh is my first film as a director. And to have it receive so much love on such an important platform comprising truly cinema-literate audiences was a big thing for me.”
Talking about the film, Marco Müller, artistic director of the festival, shared: “With his debut film, Tushar Hiranandani hits the bulls-eye! I have seen in recent years only a handful of Bollywood movies that can boast such an intelligent blend of entertainment and realism, comedy and cutting-edge social criticism. Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar are exceptional in Saand Ki Aankh. The film will confirm their star status in China too and I can predict a huge box-office success for it in the Chinese market.”
While Bollywood films were popular in the erstwhile Soviet Union, China as a consumer of Indian films has been discovered recently. 3 Idiots made its way to China and gained popularity. Then in 2015, PK became the first Bollywood film to gross Rs 100 crore at Chinese box office. Dangal set new milestones with its success there while Andhadhun did surprisingly well and grossed over Rs 300 crores only in China.