EXCLUSIVE! Jayant Digambar Somalkar on Sthal's world premeiere at TIFF, casting process and more

Independent filmmaker Jayant Digambar Somalkar, who made a mark with Guilty Minds, is currently on cloud nine as his debut Marathi film Sthal will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which will commence on 7th September. Ahead of the festival, in an exclusive interaction with Firstpost, director Jayant Somalkar opened up about Sthal premiering at TIFF, the casting process and more… Edited excerpts from the interview:

On Sthal being selected at the prestigious TIFF As a filmmaker, it is one of the happiest moments of my life. Showing your work at a prestigious festival gives you confidence to continue your creative work in the field of narrating stories. Casting process Honestly, casting was an interesting process as none of the actors were professionals. We kept an audition at my college and it took us a long time for the selection process. However, it was a nostalgic moment for me as I was shooting at my native place Dongargaon. Struggle as an independent filmmaker The biggest struggle is to find financers for your project. But you have to motivate yourself and continue to believe in your creative process Any wishlist to work with any actor? For me, the story is the ultimate hero. So, my casting totally depends upon the script as which actor will suit for which part. Sthal, which is narrated from the perspective of a young girl, Savita, highlighting patriarchy, colorism and social evil deeply rooted in society, is shot in Jayant’s native village, Dongargaon in the Chandrapur District of Maharashtra, features an ensemble cast of first-time actors from the village starring Nandini as the protagonist Savita along with Taranath Khiratkar, Sangita Sonekar, Suyog Dhawas, Sandip Somalkar, Sandip Parkhi, Swati Ulmale, Gauri Badki & Mansi Pawar. Jayant Digambar Somalkar wrote & directed an award-winning short Iyatta: Class (2016) and also co-wrote and co-directed the Amazon Prime Original Series _Guilty Minds_ (2022).