Marathi-Kannada film 'Follower' on Belgaum issue premieres at Rotterdam

Marathi/Kannada movie Follower is the latest movie to join the ranks of Indian cinema making a mark on the global stage. The feature film premiered at the prestigious 52nd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), where it received rave reviews and ran to packed screenings.

Follower premiered at the 52nd IFFR as part of the festival's 'Focus: The Shape of Things to Come?' segment.

Helmed by debutant writer and director Harshad Nalawade, Follower encapsulates the fight between Belgaum's main linguistic groups- Kannada and Marathi through the lens of Raghu, a radicalised journalist. The film has dialogue in Kannada as well as Marathi languages.

Also Read | How can small films survive in Sandalwood?

Follower tells the story of a brainwashed youth belonging to a marginalised community and by digging deeper into his story, attempts to explore a world infected with hate propagated by misinformation about each other. The film navigates through the personal differences of characters and creates a microcosm of a larger society that is consumed in the 'us versus them' mindset.

Post an IFFR screening, an elated Harshad Nalawade said: "Our hard work paid off. I did not set out to prove a point or make any scathing remarks on any community or political ideologies. It is a human drama of how circumstances can play upon your psyche and how it shapes you as a person and the choices you make. Our personal and work environments have a bearing on our personalities and escaping that is always a challenge. As social beings we are all exposed to various partisan opinions and bombarded with content these days, somebody with a career in the news is anyway living in the eye of the storm, so turning a blind eye to what is otherwise an urban ennui to others may not be a choice for him."

Also Read | Hondisi Bareyiri review: A coming-of-age drama worth watching

Harshad is from Belgaum, where the story is based. The characters are real and the ongoing tensions in Belgaum suggest that this engrossing tale is coming alive. Taking inspiration from the director's experiences of growing up in a linguistically marginalised community of the border city, Follower was conceived in 2018 after he had directed and written various short films. For Follower, Harshad raised funds through crowdfunding and eventually got selected for the NFDC Film Bazaar Work-in-Progress Lab 2021.

The film is produced by HumaraMovie in association with Causality Films and stars Raghu Prakash, Donna Munshi and Harshad Nalawade.

Follower had earlier been a part of the NFDC Film Bazaar WIP Lab, 2021 and Film Bazaar 'Goes To Cannes' 2022, where it was also very well received.