Having one’s movie screened at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is a matter of pride and joy. Filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan had hoped to experience it with Phule, his biopic on social reformer Jyotirao Phule. But as the upcoming film festival unveiled its schedule, the director is disheartened that his Pratik Gandhi and Patralekhaa-starrer has not made the cut. “I feel angry, pained, and helpless. A government-sponsored festival like IFFI sidelined Phule, despite it being an honest film with credible actors,” he tells mid-day. 

Stills from ‘Homebound’