Lost, starring Yami Gautam Dhar, to open Chicago South Asian Film Festival

Lost, starring Yami Gautam Dhar, has been selected as the opening night premiere film at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF), being held from 22 – 25 September.

Produced by Zee Studios and Namah Pictures, the investigative drama set in Kolkata is directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury. The ensemble cast also includes Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, Neil Bhoopalam, Pia Bajpiee, and Tushar Pandey.

Inspired by true events, Lost follows a crime reporter in her relentless search for the truth behind the sudden disappearance of a young theatre activist.

Expressing his pride that the film will open the festival on 23 September, Chowdhury said, “It calls for a celebration. The shoot of Lost has been an incredible journey. I have been eager for the release of our hard-worked venture. The film is a realistic highlight of media in a social context and I am sure that it will give the audience a compelling watch. I am curious about its release and see the responses it shall get. I hope they will welcome it with open hearts.”

Shariq Patel, CBO of Zee Studios, echoed the filmmaker’s sentiments and added, “Tony [director Chowdhury]and the writers have crafted a unique story, a story of humanity under the guise of a thriller, and we are excited to showcase it to the audiences.”

Lead star Yami Gautam Dhar expressed her wish for people to connect with this contemporary story. She stated, “I have loved playing this role because it was such a special experience, it allowed me to explore so many layers of emotions as an actor and the entire team has worked really hard on it. I genuinely cannot wait for the film’s release, especially to see the reactions of the audience to it.”

Dhar and co-star Rahul Khanna are expected to attend the festival.

Producer at Namah Pictures, Shareen Mantri Kedia said, “CSAFF is a wonderful platform to showcase Lost and we are excited for the film's world premiere before an international audience. We have always believed in bringing forth compelling narratives and are keenly looking forward to the film's release in India after its opening premiere before the Chicago audience.”

The story of Lost has been written by Shyamal Sengupta and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, while the screenplay is written by Sengupta and the dialogues are by Ritesh Shah.

Avik Mukhopadhay is the director of photography. The music is composed by Shantanu Moitra and the lyrics are penned by Swanand Kirkire.

The Hindi film is produced by Zee Studios, Shareen Mantri Kedia, Kishor Arora, Sam Fernandes, and Indrani Mukherjee.