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Director Syed Ahmed Afzal looks back at the making of his crime drama, 2016’s Laal Rang, which starred Randeep Hooda, Akshay Oberoi, and Piaa Bajpai.

How did Laal Rang happen?

I would’ve completely missed Laal Rang, as a film belonging to my filmography, if I wouldn’t have had met this young, passionate and aspiring lad from Haryana. Pankaj Matta was an aspiring screenwriter who had come once seeking guidance on screenwriting. Now, he’s an established screenwriter, and I’m quite proud of him. Pankaj had a story, loosely based on a real-life event, which he had witnessed during his days pursuing a pathology course at a government facility in Karnal. The idea didn’t click with me initially, but surprisingly haunted me for several days; A film based on Blood. Through a brief web research, I found several films with blood and gore, but very interestingly, I...

The Chicago South Asian Film Festival, to be held between September 18th and 21st, will open with Geethu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice. The film has Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Geetanjali Thapa in lead roles and was screened at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout will be the centerpiece film of the festival. Agneya Singh’s M Cream will be screened as the Friday night feature. Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi will close the Festival on Sunday evening.

Here is the complete lineup of the festival:

A Boy Called Boris (Director: Ashok Vish): World Premiere; Short Film; United States; Max Kolby, Brian Gildea, Jose Amor

Algorithms (Director: Ian McDonald): U.S. Premiere; Documentary; India

Ankhon Dekhi (Director: Rajat Kapoor): Chicago Premiere; Feature; India; Sanjay Mishra, Rajat Kapoor, Seema Pahwa

Are You Listening! – Shunte Ki Pao! (Director: Kamar Ahmad Simon): U.S. Premiere...