'Slim to none': Director on 'The Shameless' India release chances
The recently concluded 77th Cannes Film Festival was special for Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov, whose film The Shameless was screened as a part of the official selection. The film's lead actor, Anasuya Sengupta, clinched the Best Actress award in the Un Certain Regard section. The Shameless, which also stars Auroshikha Dey and Mita Vashisht, is centered around Indian sex workers. In a conversation with Times Now, he spoke about the film.
Bojanov praised Sengupta's natural talent in 'The Shameless'
Sengupta was tutored from scratch by Bojanov for her role in The Shameless. The director praised her natural talent and stated that she understood the character immediately. He said, "She is a natural talent. Above all, she understood the character immediately." "I held two weeks of table readings and workshopping the scenes with all the lead actors during the prep, and that made my work on set immensely easier as we shot the film at a breakneck pace."
'The odds were stacked against me'
Reflecting upon the roadblocks he encountered, Bojanov said, "I walked the tightrope all along. The odds were stacked against me, and the possibility of failure was immense. For a variety of reasons, one being our low budget, we couldn't shoot the film in India and shot it in Nepal." Speaking about choosing Indian actors for the project, he credited Parag Mehta Agency in Mumbai which facilitated most of the auditions.
A story for the marginalized section of society
Describing the themes of the film, the filmmaker added, "The Shameless is not an overly political film. Still, it touches on so many hot topics, such as women's rights, LGBTQ rights, sex workers' rights, and the global rise of the far right and religious fundamentalism, that the political discourse becomes inevitable." "I would like to emphasize that I am a big proponent of sex workers' rights." Sengupta dedicated her Cannes award to the LGBTQ+ community, an act supported by Bojanov.
Uncertainty surrounds 'The Shameless's release in India
Bojanov expressed uncertainty about whether The Shameless would pass through the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). He said, "I think the chances of The Shameless passing through the censorship board in India are slim to none." "I will not allow severe cuts as that will completely destroy the film. In any event, you would probably need to cut out one-third of the film to stand any chance for distribution under the current rules, but that's just my opinion."
