Queen’s First Appearance

Vikas Bahl spearheaded acclaimed films such as Aamir and Dev D during his stint at UTV Spotboy. But when it was time for him to make a directorial debut,Bahl had to go through the same rigours as the filmmakers whom he had supported. Finally,when Chillar Party released in 2011,it won him acclaim and awards. Although he is one of the four partners in Phantom Films,alongside friends Anurag Kashyap,Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena,Bahl has stayed away from media attention.

Now might be a good time for Bahl to resurface as his next film,Queen,is set to premiere at the ongoing Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). “Three screenings of the film are scheduled while the premiere is on Wednesday,October 9,and the subsequent shows are on Thursday and Friday,” said Bahl before he left for the festival.

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While his first was a children’s film,Queen is a coming-of-age story of a young girl,portrayed by Kangna Ranaut. The central character Rani is excited about her wedding until her fiance,played by Raj Kumar Yadav,cancels it at the last moment. She is shocked and confused but decides to go for the honeymoon alone.

Queen’s release in India was earlier planned for September,but the offer from BIFF made Phantom Films,the producers,reschedule the date to February 2014. “It’s a great avenue to explore the possibility of taking Queen to the South Asian markets. That territory is opening up to Indian cinema and BIFF encourages distributors as well as makers,” said Bahl.