Manav Kaul-Amruta Subhash starrer short film Phir Kabhi to be screened at IFFM

The latest edition of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is all set to showcase complex yet important narratives for the global audience. The film festival will showcase more than 100 critically acclaimed movies. The lineup also includes Amruta Subhash and Manav Kaul starrer short film Phir Kabhi. It is a story of a husband who recounts the days of being in school, being different from other boys, and realising that his body reacts to men the way other boys' bodies react to women. On the other hand, the wife realises that she has always let other people dictate what she eats, what she wears, what she studies, who she marries, and how she has sex. As the couple finds words to own their truths, they start searching for words to tell them to each other.

Making his directorial debut with this project, Nihit Bhave, when decided to make a short film, he knew that it had to tackle the issue of belonging to the LGBTQ community in India. "Indentifying myself as a gay man, I needed to talk about men in India who do not have the vocabulary to come out of the closet, let alone live their authentic lives," he says.



The leading lady of the film, Amruta shares, "It was a great experience to work with both Nihit and Manav. I remember I met Nihit for the first time on the sets of Choked, which he had written. And since then, my first impression was always that I was curious about him, he was so sharp with his writing skills. But for me to decide whether to be part of a project or not, the most important thing is of course, the content. And when we met again, for the narration of Phir Kabhi, my instant impression was that it really was beautifully written and I instantly connected with the story. I loved the way he handled the subject with such grace. I’m grateful that our film is getting this recognition. Hoping that the Australian audiences enjoy and relate to the film."

IFFM will be taking place, physically and virtually, from August 12 to August 20 in person and from August 13 to August 30 virtually. After the pandemic, this is the first time it has come with its physical event, since 2020 and 2021 was done virtually. It is one of the biggest Indian film festivals that takes place outside of India and is also the only Indian film festival backed by the Australian government.