Abhay Deol’s ‘Bun Tikki’ has its world premiere at Palm Springs International Film Fest  

The screening was graced by renowned fashion icon-turned-producer Manish Malhotra, who was joined by debutant feature film director Faraz Arif Ansari and lead actor Abhay Deol

Bollywood actor Abhay Deol-starrer ‘Bun Tikki’, a coming-of-age drama, had its global premiere at the prestigious 36th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) in California.

The screening was graced by renowned fashion icon-turned-producer Manish Malhotra, who was joined by debutant feature film director Faraz Arif Ansari and lead actor Abhay Deol. Abhay said that he liked the script of ‘Bun Tikki’ as soon as he read it.

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“I judge a script when it jumps off the page. I loved the story, of course, but especially the mischief between the father and son. The theme of this film is acceptance and diversity. We live in a world so full of hate, and this film is about love and acceptance. I think we have much less of that in the world,” he said.

He feels stories don’t always need to have a message, but good stories always bring a message with them. “It comes out naturally. The integrity with which Faraz (the director) wrote this really came through. The relationship this man has with his son, and how it shows his perspective — the empathy that this film portrays really got to me more than anything else,” he added.

“He’s not a bad guy; he just doesn’t know how to deal with it because he himself is conditioned. The subject really got to me more than anything else,” he said.

At the screening, director Faraz Ansari said that ‘Bun Tikki’ is a really special film for him. “It stems from the love and empathy that my mother instilled in me during my growing up years. To champion love, to champion healing and to remind the world that kindness is something that will win the day over and over and over again! This film is a manifestation of my mother’s love,” he shared.

Producer Manish Malhotra shared that the day he read the script, he decided, he is definitely making this film. “For us, it’s a film full of emotion and love. It’s a very strong story about the acceptance of children by their parents, exactly as they are. As a producer, I want to continue my journey of backing films like these,” said Malhotra.

‘Bun Tikki’ also features Shabana Azmi and Zeenat Aman, alongside Nushrratt Bharucha and Rohaan Preet Singh. The film is based in the serene setting of Nainital, ‘Bun Tikki’ follows the journeys of seven-year-old Shanu and his single father, Sidhant. Shanu grapples with self-discovery amid societal challenges, while Sidhant navigates grief and societal pressures as a single parent trying to understand his child.