Compassion over commerce

Master chef-turned-filmmaker Khanna on how a big-screen release of Last Color will boost employment

After winning acclaim at international film festivals, Vikas Khanna's The Last Color was primed to hit screens in March. Unperturbed that the release of the Neena Gupta-starrer was held off due to the pandemic, the first-time director is now counting the hours to its December 11 release. "We wanted to release it before the year-end," says Khanna of the screen adaptation of his book of the same name. Through the unlikely friendship between a tightrope-walker and a widow, the film challenges the age-old taboos surrounding widows in Varanasi.

Aware that the prevailing situation is not conducive for theatrical outings, Khanna - an award-winning chef - says that the move is driven by reasons that go beyond business. "I understand that the market is different from what it was [before the pandemic]. But it is important that the film enjoys a big-screen release before going the OTT route. I opened a restaurant in the middle of the pandemic because in doing so, I can hire 100 people. People of privilege, who can take a risk, should make such decisions. [Releasing the film] isn't about business; the move will provide employment to a lot of people."

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