Filmmaker and screenwriter Kanu Behl’s film ‘Agra’ was screened at the 28th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). The film featuring Mohit Agarwal, Priyanka Bose, Ruhani Sharma, Vibha Chibber, Sonal Jha, and Aanchal Goswami in pivotal roles, tells the story of Guru, a young boy living in Agra, who is sexually repressed.
After the screening at the IFFK 2023, while talking to the audience, Kanu Behl spoke about Guru, the protagonist of his film ‘Agra’.
When asked whether Guru, the protagonist represented the sexually suppressed Indian youth, the director stated that it not only represents the youth, but people of all ages in India. “Sadly, we belong to the land of the Kamasutra,” he added.
When the director was asked if repressed sexuality affects other spheres of an individual's life or the society as a whole, he said, “Yes. Sexuality cannot be repressed in a vacuum. It's linked to many other factors that are equally suppressed, leading to a larger cultural context. It speaks about our social life, political life, and shrunken economy, all coming together to create the environment.”
Kanu Behl’s ‘Agra’ was premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in Directors' Fortnight category. The film tells the story of Guru, a young man who lives with his family. He sleeps in the same room as his mother, and on the upper floor his father lives with a mistress. Guru insists that he loves Mala, an imaginary girl, and will marry her and live with her in a room on the terrace just like his father. ‘Agra’ later becomes the odyssey of a young Indian man’s sexual coming of age. As everyone fights for the terrace to be used for their own material gains, Guru struggles with his sexuality.
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