Hetal Dave-inspired ‘Sumo Didi’ to premiere at Tokyo International Film Fest

MUMBAI — ‘Sumo Didi’, the film which is an ode to India’s first Sumo wrestler Hetal Dave, is set to be screened at the upcoming edition of Tokyo International Film Festival.

The film, which stars Shriyam Bhagnani, is a story of empowerment and resilience. It has also been selected in the competition category under the Asian Future section.

The world premiere of the film will be held at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 27.

It also stars Chaitnya Sharma, known by his stage name ‘Slow Cheeta’ and is directed by debutant Jayant Rohatgi.

Talking about the film, the director said: “At the heart of it, ‘Sumo Didi’ is an inherent human story about resilience in the depths of despair and I hope it resonates with audiences across the world. What better way to celebrate this journey than being able to showcase our film in Japan – the birthplace of Sumo Wrestling.”

Shot on a grand scale across Mumbai, Kolkata and locations in Japan, ‘Sumo Didi’ is a story of grit, determination and will-power of a girl from a simple, middle class Indian family who defies fat shaming by making the excess weight perceived to be her weakness into her strength and ultimately represents India on the global stage in the sport of Female Sumo Wrestling.

The film has been presented by Jio Studios, and produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Akash Chawla, Amit Chandrra, Arunava Sengupta, in association with Fresh Lime Films and MA + TH.

Also read: Manipur’s ‘Andro Dreams’ to screen as opening film at IFFI’s Indian Panorama non-feature section