A scene from the film ‘Khidki Gaav’
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Filmmaker Sanju Surendran’s feature If on a Winter’s Night (Khidki Gaav) is set for its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival, where it has been officially selected in the Asia Vision category.
The festival this year is scheduled to be held from September 17 to 26.
Shot entirely in Delhi, the film, according to a press release, is a lyrical portrait of love and ambition that captures the heart of the city and its living contradictions.
Award-winning director Payal Kapadia is its executive producer.
The film’s cinematographer is Manesh Madhavan, a two-time winner of the Kerala State Film Award for best cinematography. The screenplay by Rekha Raj blends intimate storytelling with the pulse of the city. Alongside actors Roshan Abdul Rahoof and Bhanupriya, Khidki Gaav features Jitheesh Raichel, Arathy K.B. and Shobana Sharma.
Rooted in Delhi’s Khirki village, the film takes its name and spirit from this settlement that dates back to the 14th century. Once a Rajasthani migrant settlement, the village today stands across the road from the glittering Saket malls where global consumerism thrives. This stark juxtaposition of medieval past and modern marketplace is experienced in the same breath — on one side, a maze of narrow streets where Hindu shrines, Tughlaq-era mosques, African prayer rooms, Indian dhabas, and Afghan canteens coexist; on the other, glass-fronted towers of retail, food courts, and multiplexes. The neighbourhood is also home to some of Delhi’s most vital art and cultural spaces such as Khoj and the Community Library Project, and is a living metaphor for contradictions that shape the city.
Published – August 30, 2025 08:25 pm IST
