Ranbir Kapoor’s debut was Oscar-nominated Karma, short film screened at Bandra Film Festival

Not many know that Ranbir Kapoor starred in Oscar nominated short film Karma, which was directed by Abhay Chopra, the grandson of veteran filmmaker BR Chopra, before his debut Saawariya. Ranbir’s first short, which revolves around the theme of capital punishment in India, has been selected to be screened at the Bandra Film Festival’s (BFF) YouTube Channel. The film, also starring Sharat Saxena and Milind Joshi, releases on Wednesday.

Karma first released in 2004 and went on to grab a nomination at the Student Oscars. The movie happened to Ranbir when he was a film student along with Abhay Chopra. He made his Bollywood debut three years later with Saawariya (2007).

The near half an hour long film revolves around the relationship of a father and son. It follows a jailer’s dilemma of performing the execution of his own son.

Recollecting memories of teaming up with Ranbir, Abhay Chopra said, “I have fond memories of directing Ranbir Kapoor. He had not even started his career back then. He is such an effortless actor. Acting really runs through his veins. Sharat Saxena has done a phenomenal job in the film and has such powerful screen presence. I’m glad I could tell this story and that it is getting an extended viewership at the Bandra Film Festival.”

Further adding how Karma is inspired from real life stories, Abhay added, “The year I made this film, capital punishment was a part of every prime-time debate and churned out scores of opinion pieces and cover stories. India saw the hanging of Dhananjay Chatterjee for the rape and murder of Hetal Parekh which fuelled these debates. Karma is fiction but heavily inspired from reality.”

Along with Karma, Mara Ahmed’s feature documentary A Thin Wall revolving around Partition, and Nyay Bhushan’s short Backdrop depicting a patriotic glimpse at the Wagah border ceremony will go live on the YouTube channel of the digital film festival.