After 'Thithi', it's now 'Mojo' creating ripples in film circuit

‘Mojo’, the first-ever pre-cognitive thriller of Sandalwood is creating ripples in the international film circuit.

On Wednesday, the film won the Outstanding Achievement Award for experimental films at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. Out of the 1,000 entries from across the globe, 30 films were shortlisted, while it beat all other films to bag the honour.

Directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi and produced by Gajanan Bhat under the Poorvi Arts banner, the film (110 minutes), will be released in 35 theatres across Karnataka on October 27.

So far, it has won five honours at the international level much before its release.

It was the only Indian movie selected for screening at the Glendale International Film Festival, USA.

The film was selected officially for screening at the Golden Gate Film Festival, USA; Los Angeles Film Festival, USA. It bagged the Best Regional Film award at FOG (Festival of Globe) International Film Festival.

The word Mojo, has its roots in Sanskrit/Creole (broken French spoken in French colonies in West Africa and Pacific region). It means magic, miracle. The film is a thriller that delves into the subconscious mind of the protagonist.

The movie combines elements of art and commercial flicks and projects the battle between illusion and reality. It is the first South Indian movie to blend the sixth sense with a murder mystery.

“I was a passionate reader of psychology. I’ve read many books on the sub-conscious mind. I got the idea for the film while reading a book about two years ago,” Belakvaadi, who worked in the IT industry for over 20 years and quit to become a full-time filmmaker, told DH. Belakvaadi began working on the script in 2015. He roped in many theatre personalities and renowned technicians for the project.

“I didn’t expect to win the honours for the film while the project was under way. We wanted to gift Sandalwood the best movie. We wanted to break the cliché in the Kannada film industry,” he said.

Anusha, a hardware engineer, is cast opposite Manu, who has worked in a Kannada film and many short films. Smitha Kulkarni, a native of Belagavi, dons the role of Koravanji. S D Aravind has scored the music for this film.