Actor Mrinal Dutt is a familiar face in the OTT space with shows such as Hello Mini, Medically Yours and Private Investigator. Now, the young actor has forayed into films with two new projects. The first one is filmmaker Arati Kadav’s 55 km/sec, a short sci-fi film that has been released across the US and the UK on Amazon Prime Video and is expected to be released soon in India. The film has been received well with user reviews giving the film more than four stars.
The story is about the moments just before a meteor hits the Earth and how people are preparing for the catastrophe. A man awkwardly confesses his love to his college crush while on a call to bid farewell to his school friends. But when they realise that the calculation of the meteor’s impact are erroneous and that they have a few more minutes, the man has some time left for a last conversation with his lady love before the world ends. Mrinal plays the role of this man, opposite Richa Chadha.
“The film follows this boy who is unlike anyone else. While people are rushing to save themselves, he is quite reticent about the whole situation. He is an interesting character in an unusual situation,” says Mrinal, who shot for the entire film during the lockdown in April-May last year. A friend and him used their iPhones to shoot the scenes around Mrinal’s home and in the quiet alleys around his house, while they were being assisted by the DOP on a Zoom call.
It was purely an urge to do something during the lockdown that led to the making of this film, says the actor. “Arati and I have known each other for a long time and I was keen to work with her. So we thought the lockdown was an opportunity to do something, and we worked on a story that somehow resonated with the situation we were in, ” explains Mrinal. His other film that has been creating a buzz in the international film festival circuit is The Lonely Prince. While 55km/sec was shot on a tight budget, The Lonely Prince was shot with elaborate sets and costumes. “It’s a period film and was shot in a palace. I play a prince who comes to terms with his sexuality,” he says. The film was screened at Reeling 2020 and Norwich Film Festival 2020, and will soon release in India. Mrinal will next be seen in the new season of Hello Mini. “I am also shooting for another new web series with Satyadeep Mishra and Priyamani,” he signs off.
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
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