By - Amit kumaR Agarwal
- Ulka Mayur's heartwarming film, Where The Heart Is, true to it's title, warmed up the hearts of both the audiences as well as other filmmakers attending IFFI 2025.
Speaking exclusively to Bhaarat Bol News, the team talked about the Marathi language film, which is, one of the official selections, Indian Panorama section, IFFI 2025.
Mayur Puri is a prominent name in Bollywood; naturally then, when he produces a film, it is bound to pop-up eyeballs; not only in the festival-circuit, but film-industry as well.
His latest production is mid-short documentary 'Where The Heart Is', when asked if he produced the film because his wife, Ulka Mayur, was helming it; Mayur laughed-off any hint of nepotism, "c'mon buddy she is very talented and I am not saying this because I am her husband, but the fact that she is an acclaimed multi-dimensional artist".
Ulka elaborated on the journey of the film from concept to production. "I had a very interesting doc on migration, with an aspect as yet unseen on screen, so when I decided to produce it, it was natural Mayur too joined in".
On being asked what made her feel that her labor of love will connect with the audience, Ulka said, "Where the Heart Is, follows the protagonists' annual journey from Mumbai to his ancestral village for the Ganapati festival, capturing the warmth of reunion and the shifting realities of migration, through the eyes of Umesh Garate. The homecoming of the Garate family is reflected in the film through emotions and finer nuances like belonging, memory, and the quiet transformation of rural homes".
About the response film generated at IFFI, Mannan Shaah, music composer and co-producer, echoed the sentiments of Ulka and Mayur, "it’s heartening to see the film generating such positive buzz on the festival circuit".
The film had its international premiere at the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) in Toronto with other festival screenings at Kolkata International Film Festival and the Jagran International Film Festival, "our premiere in Toronto was truly special, and the response in India has been just as encouraging. I am truly honoured by the love of the audiences across continents", gushed a visibly excited, Ulka, as a very supportive, Mayur Puri smiled, both for his director and his wife!