Rohena Gera's Sir to be released on 20 March: See poster

After travelling around the world, Rohena Gera’s award-winning film, Sir (2020), will finally make its Indian debut in theatres on 20 March. Starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber, the film had its world premiere in the Critics’ Week section of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

Sir won the Gan Foundation award for distribution in France, making Gera the first woman filmmaker to win the honour. The film is among the five top-grossing Indian films to be released theatrically in France. It has already been released in 30 countries, picking up 16 awards from nearly 45 festivals from Los Angeles, USA, to Beijing, China.

A new poster for the Indian release features lead cast Shome and Gomber separated by a wall against the backdrop of Mumbai. Shome plays Ratna, a widowed maid who becomes romantically involved with her employer Ashwin (Gomber). Geetanjali Kulkarni also plays a key role in the film.

Produced by Inkpot Films and co-produced by Ciné-Sud Promotion, Sir will be distributed in India by PVR Pictures Limited. The film's Indian release is also spearheaded by Shiladitya Bora of Platoon One Films.

Sir is very personal for me: Rohena Gera on a romance that reveals India's class divide

Writer-director Gera is thrilled to bring the film to India. "The film is about fighting for a dream, and the film has become my dream come true. To have my first film in Cannes, and then to have it travel around the world, from Brazil to Japan. to Hungary to Israel... it’s beyond what I would have dared to dream. But that said, I made the film for India," she said in a press release.

"It is an Indian story, it is about us. The fact that people abroad connected to it is a bonus.  What I am so excited (and nervous) about is to see how people at home feel," Gera continued. "I have been really lucky to have had the support of a wonderful crew and an amazing cast, especially Tillotama, Vivek and Geetanjali, who breathed life into their characters and made them shine."

Shome, who has already won several awards for her performance in the film, spoke about her preparation: "It was a wonderful challenge to bring to life the delicate negotiations within Rohena's script with my wonderful co-actors, Vivek Gomber and Geetanjali Kulkarni. The subject of the film is so delicate that it was extremely nerve-wracking and yet so rewarding to work on my character. I had to learn Marathi for a few scenes. The effort to learn the language made me fall a little more in love with Bombay.

"We all believe in love, but can we love across class? And if we can, how far can we take it? How far are we willing to fight the system, the prejudices? This film is about love, this film is about us with all our good and bad," she added of the themes the film deals with.