Berlin International Film Festival: Dhanak off to Berlin

“I am so excited, I can hardly believe it,” says Hyderabad’s Elahe Hiptoola, as she leaves the country to attend the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, where her film Dhanak is being screened. “It’s a worldwide premiere and the film will be screened on February 8, 11 and 12. But it’s going to be so cold there that I won’t be able to wear what I wanted to for the red carpet,” jokes Elahe

Written by Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Elahe Hiptoola, among others, the story of Dhanak revolves around a little girl’s quest to get her brother's eyesight back.

Indian films over the years have been making their mark internationally, but Dhanak is the only film from India to be selected for the prestigious film festival in the Generation KPlus category, which comprises an 11-member jury in the age group of 11 to 14 years. “For the last 15 years, numerous films would be selected every year for the fest. But this year, it’s just ours in this category,” says Elahe.