By Renu Mehta
BRAMPTON: Hundreds of cinema-goers descended on Brampton’s Cineplex Orion Gate Cinemas to catch a glimpse of the stars walking the red carpet and watch the world premiere of the Canadian film Knot Not! Directed by Indo-Canadian director Brinda Muralidhar, the movie, that explores a deep social issue with a global resonance, drew a full house, with the cast and crew in attendance.
The screening took place on October 13 at the Cineplex Orion Gates in Brampton and began with a red carpet celebrity walk and a Q&A session attended by a prominent audience mix. It was followed by a brief introduction of the director followed by the world premiere screening. A brief Q&A took place after the screening, after which the audience got the opportunity to wine and dine with the stars at the after-party.
A coming of age story of Mohan (Dilip Krishnamurthy) and his family, the film is about the young man from South India who arrives in Canada for higher studies. Soon he makes friends with Patricia Smith (Jessica Siegner) a pleasant, independent Canadian girl. All is well until Mohan’s parents Srinivas and Padma arrive in Canada. Srinivas, who is a bully, wants Mohan to marry Lakshmi (Suniti Santosh) daughter of his Indo-Canadian friend, the light-hearted Bhaskar (Nat Pennathur). Lakshmi is a delightful girl who cherishes great family values. Mohan likes her, but before he embarks on his new journey, he has a major task to complete; he is yet to figure out what he wants!
Knot Not! is a story that needs to be told over and over again as long as marriages do happen wherever in the world!, says Brinda Muralidhar, who gives the credit of her first feature to her husband Gunny Muralidhar, also the producer and Cinematographer of the film.
WATCH: Gunny Muralidhar speaks on his film Knot Not!
“Knot Not! holds a mirror to society and is for every relationship that springs out of two people coming together. There is imbalance in every relationship, be it husband and wife, or friends and relatives,” she said at the premiere.
The movie, shot in English, has been produced in Canada, with Canadian talent with the shooting taking place mostly in parts of the Greater Toronto Area. Focused towards young adults as well as mature audience who enjoy content driven films, the film is filled with moments that are thought provoking while fun inducing and anger evoking.
“The name of the film Knot Not! is very significant. Knot is for the people who follow the rules and Not is for those who don’t“
“Whenever you see any imbalance in any relationship, especially in a couple, even good friends turn a blind eye saying it’s not our business. Believe me, there is a lot of abuse out there. Where there is a victim, there is a bully. And it is our duty to stop that abuse; we have to start somewhere to intervene to stop the bullying. ” said the first time film director.
The film is about stopping the bad beginnings, said Muralidhar.
“The central subject of Knot Not! is something that has distressed me for a long time. I have witnessed similar stories in my own circles. While there are many families that are flourishing happily, in a myriad of ways many families are crumbling. Knot Not! has one such theme that has allowed me to explore two important aspects: ‘why so’? And ‘now what?”
“I believe good films offer a great opportunity to hold mirror to the society, to ask questions and to offer at least one solution from the point of view of the writer,” says Brinda who believes it was very important to tell this story.
RELATED: Brinda Muralidhar gets going with her award-winning film Knot Not!
