‘Bulbul Can Sing’ by national award-winning filmmaker Rima Das’  won the ‘Best Indie Film’ at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia on August 8th, 2019.

“What a wonderful night this has been! Thank you to the jury of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for awarding Bulbul Can Sing the Best Indie Film. Special thanks to the audience for all your love. Kudos to the Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick and the whole team for putting together this unique festival. This award is particularly special because it’s where mainstream films, regional films and independent films from India have come together under one roof. Can’t wait for the opening night tomorrow!,” Rima wrote on Facebook.

The film revolves around Bulbul, a teenage school-going girl, growing up in a rural setting in Assam, falls in love. The name Bulbul, which means ‘nightingale’, reflects her religious father’s long-cherished desire for his daughter to become a singer.

While she is on the verge of discovering her teen life, a tragedy strikes with her best friend. Bulbul, free-spirited, rebellious and stubborn, begins to question herself and her love life. The role of Bulbul is played by Arnali.

The award-winning film festival had several stars from Indian cinema such as Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay Sethupathi, Gayathrie Shankar, Tabu, Sriram Raghavan, Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor and Zoya Akhtar in attendance. Khan was the guest of honour at the festival.

The festival will go on from August 8th to 15th, 2019. The festival will screen over 60 films from all across India and the subcontinent in over 22 languages.

Here are a few snapshots of the festival:

Guwahati | First Published: Aug 09, 2019