Film-maker Santosh Sivan’s selection as a jury member at the prestigious Pusan Film Festival that begins on October 2 has raised eyebrows as his movie Tahaan is also in competition there. But the director says the controversy is uncalled for.

“I’m on the jury for films by first-time and second-time directors. Tahaan has been selected for the main festival that is for the market and for showcasing world cinema,” clarified Sivan. Sivan plans a big Bollywood release for Tahaan in October. And since it’s a film that was shot in Jammu and Kashmir, he wants to premiere it in the valley.

“Shooting this sensitive film in Kashmir was supposed to be dangerous for our unit. But our experience was totally different. We shot the film in the easiest of circumstances. And, yes, I’m definitely looking forward to premiering Tahaan in Kashmir, though the theatres there are extremely basic,” Sivan said.

The film is about eight-year-old Tahaan (Purav Bhandare) who lives with his grandfather (Victor Banerjee), mother Haba (Sarika) and older sister Zoya (Sana Shaikh) in Kashmir. They all hope that someday Tahaan’s father, who has been missing for over three years, will return.

Sivan also features in the July issue of the internationally celebrated magazine American Cinematographer for the second time. “The first time I was featured in American Cinematographer was when I directed The Terrorist. Now they’ve featured my film Before The Rains and me in a three-page spread. Yes, it’s an honour. I suppose you’ve to be a cinematographer to know what it really means.”