Platoon One Films Boards Indian Drama 'Kidney' Ahead of Tallinn Premiere

By Tom Whitfield

Shiladitya Bora's Platoon One Films has joined Indian drama "Kidney" as co-producer ahead of its slot in the Critics' Picks Competition at Estonia's Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF). The film is the second feature from filmmaking siblings Aakarsh and Agrim Sansanwal and is produced by their Mumbai outfit, Enfant Terrible Productions.

The plot is a village Romeo-and-Juliet setup with a harder edge. Set in an isolated Indian village, "Kidney" follows a young man and woman from feuding families who fall in love. When a quarrel over an inheritance revives old hostilities, their relationship comes under pressure from greed and treachery in a conflict not of their making.

"We made the film with very little money and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of spirit," Aakarsh Sansanwal said. "When the budget ran out, the entire village, its farming community, stood behind us. They helped us through the hurdles and, in their own way, became part of the film's journey. This film carries the hands and hearts of the people who helped bring it into the world."

What does Platoon One's backing change?

For a film reportedly finished on a depleted budget, a co-production deal with an established Indian banner matters practically: distribution reach and festival circulation. The director said Platoon One was among the first to spot that spirit in the film. "Their support gave the film a chance to travel beyond the world in which it was made and reach audiences we could only have hoped for," he said. "To see it now receive recognition and find its way into the light is deeply moving. My thanks to the Tallinn Black Nights team for discovering our film and giving it a place to shine."

Platoon One's slate already includes "Bayaan," "Toh Ti Ani Fuji," "Bhagwan Bharose," "Minimum," "Ghaath," "Picasso" and "Yours Truly." "Kidney" extends a pattern of the company backing distinctively voiced Indian independents rather than mainstream titles.

Bora, who founded Platoon One, said that when he first watched "Kidney" he knew he was "looking at something different, something that hadn't been attempted in quite this way." He also singled out the Sansanwals' "strong and distinct voice."

"It would be easy to dismiss a film like 'Kidney' as esoteric, but what struck me was the depth of emotion underneath its craft and form," Bora said. "There is a dense, deeply felt emotional layer running through the film, and the film's unique style becomes a way of expressing that emotion rather than an end in itself. That is exactly the kind of cinema Platoon One wants to stand behind: original, distinctive and deeply rooted voices. I couldn't let go of this film after I saw it."

Note what that praise does not include: neither Bora nor the festival has cited sales figures, cast names or distribution commitments. The endorsement, for now, is curatorial.

Why the Critics' Picks slot counts

Tallinn's Critics' Picks strand spotlights films with a clear artistic point of view and a fresh take on storytelling, including work that wrestles with genre, cinema's past and the social issues of the moment. Earlier selections include Arati Kadav's "Mrs.," starring Sanya Malhotra, as well as "The Brothers Kitaura," "About Us But Not About Us" and "The Bone Breakers."

That track record gives the strand credibility; it does not guarantee a sales breakthrough. The Sansanwals' own history suggests they are building slowly rather than chasing scale. The brothers divide their time between Mumbai and Delhi. Aakarsh worked as an assistant director to Reema Kagti, Abhinay Deo and Pushpendra Misra; Agrim trained as a filmmaker with a focus on editing and assisted editor Deepa Bhatia on "Skater Girl."

Their first feature, the experimental "To Caterpillar, From Butterfly," which the pair co-wrote and co-directed, debuted at the Dharamshala International Film Festival. "Kidney" is their second festival outing, and their first under a co-production banner.

The Tallinn premiere will show whether a village-financed film about feuding families can convert festival endorsement into wider circulation — the recognition is secured, the reach is still untested.