MUMBAI: After the international success of his I Am Kalam that won over 20 international awards and one national award, NilaMadhab Panda‘s second feature film Jalpari - The Desert Mermaid, produced by Sushilkumar Agrawal of Ultra Distributors, started its international journey with a screening at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

Though the story of Jalpari… is largely based on the issue of female foeticide, it has been treated as an adventure thriller and journey film.

The film‘s story revolves around the adventures and misadventures of brother-sister duo Shreya and Sam from the city, who visit their father‘s village which is bereft of water and women. The film takes an interesting turn when the children turn the dull village into a land of enchantment and mischief.

To a query as to why his film was not part of the official section, Panda observed, "My new film is ready. As the film was not complete earlier, I could not send it for official selection in Cannes, but we brought it to the market and got a fantastic response here. We have got invites from many festivals already."

The first market screening of the film, which will have its theatrical release shortly, got a fantastic response from buyers and other participants of the festival. Both Panda and Agrawal are busy meeting prospective buyers and film festival curators at Cannes. The film will soon start its journey in the festival circuit.

Jalpari - The Desert Mermaid stars Tannishtha Chatterjee, Varun Badola, Parvin Dabas, Lehar Khan, Krishang Trivedi, Suhasini Mulay and others.