National Award-winning 'Turtle' faces theatrical release hiccups

The National Film Award-winning Rajasthani film "Turtle", featuring actor Sanjay Mishra, is facing "difficulties" in getting theatrical release, says producer Ashok Chaudhary.

"Turtle" starring Sanjay Mishra won the award for Best Rajasthani Film at the National Awards. Chaudhary feels "elated" and "vindicated" by the feat, but the lack of buyers is clearly disheartening.

"It's the first time in the history of Rajasthan that a Rajasthani Film has got a National Award. It is a film based on water crisis, a topic which is a global issue in more than 195 countries. It's unfortunate and yet true that despite this top recognition, we are still waiting for a platform to showcase our film for the theatre-going audience," said Chaudhary.

The story of the film is based on a real-life incident. The film talks about water crisis in the villages of Rajasthan.

On casting Sanjay Mishra in the lead role, Chaudhary said: "The film is a story of my dada ji, shri Ramkaran Choudhary, whose role has been essayed by Sanjay Mishra. He is a gem of a person. He is the most popular face of the film and he truly carried the film on his shoulders. My dada ji left this world on the same day Sanjay ji signed the film. He wore my dada ji's original clothes and since that time I have got extremely attached to Sanjay ji emotionally."

The producer added: "This is a huge honour not just for me but the entire team that believed in a collective vision of communicating with this very important film for our times. I would specially thank the Bhartiya Kisaan Sangh, Badri Narayan Choudhary and Shri Ashwani Mahajan. I would like to thank my parents, family and friends who supported me in this difficult journey as a first time filmmaker."