Matto Ki Saikal, starring Prakash Jha, to be premiered at the Busan festival

Matto Ki Saikal, starring Prakash Jha, is all set to have its world premiere at the 25th edition of the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

The film will be seen alongside six other Indian features in the A Window on Asian Cinema section.

Jha, who recently released two directorial projects, the Zee5 film Pareeksha (2020) and the MX Player web-series Aashram (2020), stars as the head of the family that struggles to purchase a bicycle for its livelihood.

Matto Ki Saikal has been directed by first-time director M Gani and produced by Sudhirbhai Misha, also a first-timer.

Ghani thanked his lead actor Jha and his team for being with him during the making of the film. “I am humbled that an original voice from rural heartland India has been noticed at an international coveted platform which will pave the way for people who believe that cinema can be a medium to showcase the life of the downtrodden and have the passion to tell meaningful stories,” he said in a statement.

“Many anecdotes in the film have been my own experience in life as I come from the same world and I feel that cinema has a universal language and the feelings which I tried to convey will reach people across the world,” he added.

Speaking about his casting in the feature, Jha said, “I was surprised when they approached me to play Matto! It is a beautiful story, almost heartbreaking... but Matto is completely opposite to what I am in real life!”

The film, a story of hope, also stars Anita Choudhary and Aarohi Sharma. The Korean festival is slated to be held from 21 to 30 October.