Shahana humbled by response to Bhutanese film

Bollywood actress Shahana Goswami had a "humbling" experience as her Bhutanese movie "Vara: A Blessing", on traditional Indian dance, opened the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea.

"Had a grand opening of 'Vara: A Blessing' at the 18th Busan International Film Festival last night (Thursday)! Thank you BIFF for this dream opportunity," Shahana posted on microblogging site Twitter Friday.

"It was a humbling experience and thank you to all the people who came and who expressed their love for the film and us. Really a special moment," added the young and talented actress who dazzled on the BIFF red carpet in a simple yet sensual black ensemble.

"Vara: A Blessing" is the third feature film by director and Bhutan priest Khyentse Norbu.

Based on Sunil Gangopadhyay's short story "Rakta Aar Kanna", the movie is set in rural India where a young woman and her mother, a Bharatanatyam dancer who has devoted herself to a Hindu god, find themselves on the fringes of society struggling to make ends meet.

Apart from Shahana, a trained Odissi dancer, the film stars Devesh Ranjan, Rohit Raj, Pankaj Pawan, Geeta Chandran and Swaroopa Ghosh.

Shahana started her acting career with theatre before moving to the big screen with "Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota" in 2006. She appeared in a cameo in "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd." after which she featured as the lead in "Ru Ba Ru".

She rose to prominence after playing Debbie in the 2008 hit "Rock On!!".