Debutant director Utsav Gonwar’s Photo, which won the third Best Film Award at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, is gearing up for public release. Utsav, who hails from Raichur, has been in the Kannada film industry for the last seven years. About his first independent feature, Utsav reveals that he was inspired to write this story and develop it as a feature film after reading an article about a migrant worker’s difficulty during the Covid-19 induced lockdown.

“Photo’s story follows the journey of a father, a daily wager in Bengaluru, and his 10-year-old son. They decide to go back to their hometown Raichur, 450 km away from the city, after an unexpected nationwide lockdown was imposed by the government. As they walk all the way in the scorching heat and face many challenges, the story unfolds with how this journey imapct their lives,” he adds.

Apart from directing, Utsav is also producing the film with Fakirappa Bandiwad. Photo stars Mahadev Hadapad, Sandhya Arakere, Jahangeer, and Veeresh Gonwar, among others. The film has cinematography by Dinesh Divakaran and music by Rai Hiremath.