Peddlers (film) explained

Peddlers
Director:Vasan Bala
Producer:Anurag Kashyap
Guneet Monga
Shahnaab Alam
Screenplay:Vasan Bala
Starring:Gulshan Devaiah
Nishikant Kamat
Kriti Malhotra
Siddharth Menon
Nimrat Kaur
Music:Karan Kulkarni
Cinematography:Siddharth Diwan
Editing:Prerna Saigal
Studio:Sikhya Entertainment
Elle Driver
AKFPL
Distributor:Eros International
Runtime:116 min
Country:India
Language:Hindi

Peddlers is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller film written and directed by Vasan Bala. The film stars Gulshan Devaiah, Nishikant Kamat, Kriti Malhotra, Nimrat Kaur and Siddharth Menon. The film was screened as part of Critics' Week of 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[1]

Film's producer, Guneet Monga raised nearly, half of film's budget of by posting the film's script on Facebook.[2]

Plot

The film is set in Mumbai, and revolves around 20-year-old destitute boys who get trapped in the drug trade and a young cop, who tracks them.

Cast

Release

The film was screened as part of Critics' Week of 2012 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

Eros International acquired the Indian distribution rights in May 2012.[4] However the film was not released theatrically after that, In April 2020 Vasan Bala and producer Guneet Monga took to Twitter to request Eros to release film on their streaming platform Eros Now.[5] In December 2020, Eros Now announced a slate of 33 films to be released on their platform in 2021, including Peddlers, but the film was not released in 2021.[6]

Reception

Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Though it takes a long time coming together, the Hindi-language film does finally succeed in its action-packed last half-hour, rewarding audiences who hang on for that long."[7] Jay Weissberg of Variety called Bala a "budding talent", he further wrote that Bala has written "compelling characters (though some take too long to reach that state), and his facility with dialogue outstrips many other indie subcontinentals."[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 51e selection de la Semaine de la Critique - 2012. semainedelacritique.com. Critics' Week. 2012-04-23. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170228100900/http://www.semainedelacritique.com/EN/films/2012/2012_selection.php. 28 February 2017. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Parallel Queen: Guneet Monga, has managed to bridge the gap between Indian films and foreign buyers and distributors. Prachi Rege. 14 December 2012. India Today. 26 May 2013. 17 June 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130617140902/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/guneet-monga-helped-give-independent-cinema-a-facelift/1/237745.html. live.
  3. Web site: Vasan Bala's 'Peddlers' selected for Cannes Critics' Week. India Today. 19 December 2023. 29 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240129192733/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/cannes-2012/story/vasan-bala-peddlers-selected-for-cannes-critics-week-100109-2012-04-23. live.
  4. Web site: Eros picks up Cannes-nominated Peddlers. 2 May 2012. Hindustan Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20231219091049/https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/eros-picks-up-cannes-nominated-peddlers/story-QXnpTJY6HY4a8cRpK98G1K.html. 19 December 2023. 19 December 2023. live.
  5. Web site: Hope Peddlers finds legitimacy with a release: Director Vasan Bala. 9 April 2020. 19 December 2023. 17 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417112257/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/hope-peddlers-finds-legitimacy-with-a-release-director-vasan-bala-6354279/. live.
  6. Web site: Eros STX Adds 46 Films and Series to Indian Streaming Platform. Naman. Ramachandran. 11 December 2020. 19 December 2023. 2 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230802153114/https://variety.com/2020/streaming/news/eros-stx-indian-streaming-slate-expansion-1234851556/. live.
  7. Web site: Peddlers: Cannes Review . The Hollywood Reporter . 2012-05-21 . 2013-05-26 . 3 November 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131103224323/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/peddlers-cannes-review-327285 . live .
  8. Web site: Peddlers . Variety . 2012-05-22 . 2013-05-26 . 27 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120527064906/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117947622?refcatid=31 . live .