Director Nisheeta Keni: My film 'Bogda' promises a fun ride

On September 7, the Indian audience will witness a slice-of-life tale in director Nisheeta Keni's debut Marathi movie 'Bogda', a feature film she has written, directed and produced. Her approach to filmmaking is surrealistic, especially in the visuals and crafting of sound design. The film follows a dysfunctional relationship between a mother and daughter, who take off on a road trip and sees the universe conspiring to help them make memories on this ride that may be their last together.Nisheeta Keni studied film direction in Mumbai and screenwriting at New York Film Academy. The filmmaker has directed several short films during her studies, before moving on to her first feature film, with 'Bogda'. The filmmaker spoke to TimesOfIndia.com ahead of the film's release and shared her thoughts about the story, her lead star and more.Speaking about her debut film, she said, "In the film, we have explored the unique relationship between mother and daughter. The film has two lead characters Tejaswini aka Teju and Mai played by Mrunmayee Deshpande and Suhas Joshi respectively. The film revolves around the two taking a road trip in the mother's last days where the universe conspires to help them make memories of a lifetime."Speaking about her start cast featuring Mrunmayee Deshpande, Nisheeta pointed out, " For our film, we were looking protagonist and that role is played by Mrunmayee Deshpande. We wanted someone, who is trained at Indian classical dance and also teaches other, so dance is her passion. And, Mrunmayee is the one who has a passion for dance since childhood. She learned Indian classical dance and is also a fantastic actress. Suhas Tai is a veteran actor who has the experience and can look the part. She is also very expressive, be it comedy or tragic scene. The switch in her character is very interesting to watch."Revealing her decision to make a regional film, the filmmaker said, "Marathi cinema has a strong subject and intelligent audience. The regional industry is script-driven and makes films that are intelligent. People are willing to accept the experiment of a filmmaker who wants to explore something different. Our subject is very engaging. I have been watching Marathi movies for a long time and interestingly, these films hook you on with their storyline. The narrative and script have always been the plus points. Marathi cinema is more meaningful."While explaining the title of her film, Nisheeta said, "Basically there are three reasons for calling it 'Bogda'. Firstly the film is based on the theme of road trip film and in Maharashtra normally we come across many tunnels. Secondly, I have heard people come across this 'Near Death Experience' whenever they come back, they share an experience that, they were in complete darkness and there was light on the other side. And the third reason is that its more of a passage, where you forget your past experiences and move towards new beginnings."