Rahat Kazmi On Success Of 'Lines' & 'Lihaaf' At International Film Festivals: "It's Very Motivating For Independent Filmmakers"
Director Rahat Kazmi may have had two back-to-back successes with his films ‘Lines’ and ‘Lihaaf’ releasing on OTT within a week. But he has no time to stop, even as his films have received a warm response from critics and audiences alike.
“It’s very motivating for us independent filmmakers and makes us want to continue the grind,” he gleams.
With ‘Lines’ and ‘Lihaaf’ having made their mark at international film festivals, Rahat Kazmi was confident they would click with the masses in India as well. “Our movies have garnered a lot of acclaim and awards, so we somewhat had an idea of how it would be received. But to see our movies get such rave reviews from both critics and the audience really does feel good.”
Ask him what inspired him for ‘Lines’, he says: “I belong to a small town called Poonch which falls between the borders of India and Pakistan. The story of ‘Lines’ is also based in Poonch. It’s about the people who live their lives on either side of the border. So this story is very dear to me.”
The film’s lead actress Hina Khan is a prominent face on television and has her roots in Kashmir. Sharing his experience working with her, Rahat says, “It was a fabulous experience, she is very quick to adapt and is a very keen learner. She immersed herself in the role of Nazia and even made us believe that she was a local living there.”
‘Lihaaf’, which is based on a controversial story by Ismat Chughtai, is already popular in the international circuits. The film won 11 awards at film festivals across the globe.
