THE first Bollywood film that was partly shot in Bahrain is set to be released tomorrow on a very popular video streaming platform.
Khel Kood Aur Bhoot (Fun, Frolic and Ghost) is the brainchild of Bahraini film-maker and director Adnan Malik.
The 130-minute Hindi film has English subtitles and will be released on MX Player, an Indian video streaming and video-on-demand platform, which has more than 300 million users globally.
The comedy-horror film is inspired by true events, Mr Malik told the GDN exclusively from Mumbai. It tells the story of six friends who embark on an impromptu documentary film-making adventure to determine the existence of ghosts.
Their interviews with people in Mumbai lead them to a supposedly haunted house in the suburb of Panvel where they come face-to-face with the haunting truth.
The film’s release on Friday the 13th was deliberately timed.
“Over the decades, there’s been a bevy of horror films that dropped on Friday the 13th, a date which has a long-running superstition dating back to the Middle Ages,” said Mr Malik.
He added that more than 85 per cent of the film was shot in Bahrain – including three songs and indoor scenes at hospitals and resorts – while the rest was completed in India.
It is being released under his Mumbai-based home banner Malik Entertainment Movies (MEM).
“My aim has always been to promote Bahrain as a key filming and tourism destination in the Middle East and millions of eyes hopefully watching my movie will support this endeavour,” said Mr Malik.
“It’s a great feeling for any independent filmmaker to see their movie released and I’m grateful to God that such a huge OTT (over the top) platform like MX partnered with us to showcase this movie.”
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OTT is a term used for media services offered directly to views via the Internet and it bypasses cable, broadcast and satellite television platforms giving people a plethora of options for watching their favourite content on numerous devices such as mobiles, smart TVs, computers, and tablets, in various languages.
“Besides the scary story, the film’s unique selling point is some of the breath-taking cinematography which includes aerial shots of Bahrain as well as filming in various well-known locations in the kingdom,” added Mr Malik.
“Locations include Al Fateh Grand Mosque, the Bahrain Financial Harbour, Bahrain Fort, and the Bahrain World Trade Centre as well as City Centre Bahrain, the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain and the Lost Paradise of Dilmun, to name a few.
Mr Malik said he was extremely overwhelmed by the morale-boosting words from His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, whom he met during a weekly majlis during the final stages of filming a few years ago.
Mr Malik co-edited the movie with award-winning Indian editor Abhijit Kokate while the music was provided by award-winning musician Vijayaa Shanker who has also acted in the movie.
“The film was scheduled for theatrical release in India and the region in 2020 but then the pandemic struck.
“The lockdown was a blessing in disguise as it gave me time to further enhance the visual effects, colour and sound.
“There is always room for improvement and looking back I’m glad things panned out this way.
“Unlike traditional theatrical releases which struggle to get dates, adequate screens and worry about ticket sales and maintain extensive marketing budgets to promote films, OTT platforms are cost-effective and easily accessed giving filmmakers the flexibility to release without the hassles.”
The filming was scheduled for completion in 2015 but was delayed due to logistical, financial and personal reasons.
The cast includes Mr Malik, Poonam Mohapatra, Vijayaa Shanker, Deepika Khanna, Shahrukh Buhariwala, Nicolaina D’Souza and Pranav Verma.
For details follow @malikentmovies on Instagram.
The curtain-raiser and trailer will be released today on MEM’s YouTube channel.
reem@gdn.com.bh
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