Netflix has acquired rights to Bombay Rose, Gitanjali Rao’s animated film that last year became the first Indian animated pic to open Venice Critics Week. The streaming service will release the film globally (excluding China) in the fourth quarter of this year, with a bow in France to follow in 2021.
Written and directed by Rao, the plot of the visually stunning, hand-painted pic centers on a young club dancer named Kamala (voiced by Cyli Khare) living in the streets of Bombay who, escaping from child marriage, must choose between fending for her family and finding love with a boy named Salim ( Amit Deondi) orphaned by the militancy. A red rose brings together three tales of impossible loves: Love between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy, love between two women, and love of an entire city for its Bollywood stars. The voice cast also includes Gargi Shitole and Makrand Deshpande.
Rohit Khattar and Ananad Mahindra are producers of the pic, which hails from Cinestaan Film Company and Les Films d’ici and was animated by Paperboat Design Studios. Deborah Sathe and Tessa Inkelaar serve as executive producers.
Rao also edited the film, her debut feature, which also played the Toronto and London film festivals and won a pair of awards at the Mumbai Film Festival.
The Bombay Rose acquisition was made by Netflix India as part of a slate of new projects made in the territory.