'Titli' stems from personal experiences: Kanu Behl

In 'Titli', which is slated to make its world premiere in the 'Un Certain Regard' category at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, debutant director Kanu Behl has drawn a lot from his own experiences to tackle issues like family and violence.
Behl, a long-time writing partner of Dibakar Banerjee, managed to find the best of support in the 'Shanghai' helmer, who has backed the project through his production house along with Yash Raj Films.
"I started writing the film in 2010 when I was finishing 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha'. I knew I wanted to write something that came from personal experience and was really honest. There was a lot of anger and a need to scream out about things that I felt strongly," Behl told PTI.

At the centre of 'Titli' is a young boy who wants to escape and oppressive brother and an illegal family business. He plans, plots and cheats to get out of the trap but in that process he realises that he has become exactly the person he is trying to run away from.
'Titli' stars Shashank Arora, Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Lalit Behl and Shivani Raghuvanshi.
Behl, who shot the film on location in Delhi, says the story delves into this realisation and its aftermath.

"'Titli' talks about how you can't escape your roots. It deals with themes like patriarchy, how men look at women in our country, violence and a desire for freedom. It also talks about the escape that we want to make in our lives and questions whether it a physical thing," Behl says.

The director, who has co-written the script with Sharat Katariya, says the germ of the story stemmed from his own conflict with his father but denies the story is autobiographical.
"While growing up, I was a rebellious teenager. I had a father-son conflict which I think happens in every family. Some of these feelings are from there when I was trying to make what I thought was a good escape. The film starts from there but it has grown beyond it," he says.