'Qissa' to release in India Sep 26

After globe-trotting at various film festivals, independent filmmaker Anup Singh's acclaimed Punjabi film "Qissa" is set for a theatrical release in the country Sep 26 courtesy PVR Director's Rare.

"#PVRDirectorsRare & @NFDCIndia to release @QissaTheFilm in India on Sep 26. @Irrfan_k @TillotamaShome @Tiscatime @_PVRCinemas @PicturesPVR," Shiladitya Bora, head of PVR Director's Rare, posted on Twitter.

The movie stars Irrfan Khan, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Duggal and Tisca Chopra in pivotal roles. It is a complicated tale of a girl raised as a boy.

"Qissa", backed by the National Film Development Corporation, has been screened at various movie galas including Toronto International Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival, Abu Dhabi International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam and Curacao International Film Festival.

In July itself, Irrfan and Tillotama, who play father and daughter in the movie, were named the best actors at the International Film Festival of Queensland (IFFQ) in Australia. Geneva-based Singh also won the best director award for the movie.

Set in post-partition era, the film focusses on the life of a Sikh named Umber Singh and his family. It talks of the family's displacement from the Pakistan region to the Indian side of the border, and Umber's obsessive desire for a male heir.

After having three daughters, Umber decides to raise the fourth child as a boy irrespective of the fact that they had another baby girl.