Film co-produced by Malaysian enters Oscar race

Liar's Dice tells the story of a young woman (Geetanjali Thapa, right) who goes in search of her missing husband.

PETALING JAYA: India's entry for the upcoming Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film category is co-produced by Malaysian company PetraTara Studios.

Directed by Geetu Mohan Das, Liar's Dice has been garnering the attention of international audience as it made its round at various film festivals, including premiering at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival early this year.

The film also won a special jury award at the Sofia International Film Festival in Bulgaria in March.

In May, it won India’s National Award for Best Actress (for lead star Geetanjali Thapa) and Best Cinematography (Rajeev Ravi).

In a meeting with the Malaysian media on Thursday, Geetu shared that PetraTara Studios' CEO Datuk Vinod Shekar is none other than her uncle.

"I was chatting with him on Facebook, telling him about the film's story and I just asked him for money," she said, with a laugh. "PetraTara and Jar Pictures have made my dreams come true."

The director was joined by cinematographer Rajeev (who is also her husband) and the film's main stars Geetanjali and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

After Kuala Lumpur, Geetu is off to Los Angeles to campaign for the film in hopes that it will be one of the nominees for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 87th Academy Awards which will be held on Feb 22.

"The response in all the film festivals has been overwhelming," Geetu said. "I believe that making the film and telling the story have been the most rewarding process for me."

Liar's Dice deals with the issue of migrant labourers and their exploitation. This is told through a young wife who journeys out of her remote village in search of her missing husband.