Mumbai: Noted lyricist and screenwriter Varun Grover has announced that “Kiss”, his first short film as a director, will be screened at the Beijing Queer Film Festival.
Produced by Arya Menon and Shubham Karna, the short film was earlier screened at the 2022 edition of the New York Indian Film Festival. It features Adarsh Gourav, Swanand Kirkire, Shubhrajyoti Barat, Chetan Sharma and Ashwath Bhatt.
Grover, also known for his work as a stand-up comic and poet, shared the news on Instagram on Saturday night.
“Thrilled to announce that our short film KISS has been selected for the prestigious Beijing Queer Film Festival, the longest running queer film festival in China,” the writer posted.
“Kiss” is set in a preview theatre where a young filmmaker waits in the hope of getting his new sci-fi drama certified with ‘no cuts’ by the conservative men of the Censor Board.
“The board finds a particular kissing scene in the film beyond the duration stipulated by official, orthodox rules. As the filmmaker and board members argue over the length of the kiss, the laws of physics disintegrate around them,” the official plotline read.
As a lyricist, Grover has worked on films such as the “Gangs of Wasseypur” series, “Ankhon Dekhi”, “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, “Masaan”, “Udta Punjab” and “Badhaai Do”.
