Gangtok, 12th January: The cast of the upcoming feature film The Family I Chose, directed and produced by Kankana Chakraborty, was officially announced today during a press conference held in Gangtok.
The film is a powerful emotional drama based on themes of grief, redemption and human bonding. The story centres around an 80 year old man and a 13 year old child. Gangtok is an important part of the story and is treated as a character in the film.
Director Kankana Chakraborty said she feels Gangtok is her home, which is why she chose the city as the location for the film.
The names of the cast were jointly announced by Kankana Chakraborty along with Palmu Sherpa, SKM CLC Burtuk, Dr Manoj Rai, Vice President of SKM Culture Wing, Mong Lama, Coordinator of SKM Culture Wing, and Rizing Chopel, Chairman of the Sports Development Board.
The Sikkim based actors selected for the film are Aaradhya Rai as Phul, Adlina Rai as Shyam, Ismiraka Gurung as Nima, and Lawang Dolma Lepcha as Preeti. Two of them will play lead roles, while two will be in supporting roles. Additional supporting actors will be from Kolkata and Mumbai.
The film will be made in Nepali, Hindi and English. It is a featured film and is expected to connect strongly with the people of Gangtok and Sikkim.
Sikkim Film Board Chairman Tashi Tshering Bhutia thanked director Kankana Chakraborty for choosing Sikkim for the project. He said the vision of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang is to uplift the people of Sikkim through art and cinema, and this film supports that vision. He also thanked the Chief Minister for his continued support to the film industry.
The shooting of The Family I Chose will begin in Gangtok from November.