Vijay Jayapal’s ‘Nirvana Inn’ has boldly embraced the new reality of the post Covid 19 world  by having its  ‘World Digital Premiere’  for 99 hours from December 11, 2020 on the digital platform Cinemapreneur.

The passes for the film can be bought at https://www.cinemapreneur.com/en/99hoursofnirvanainn

The Hindi-language psychological horror drama stars Adil Hussain as the protagonist and also features Rajshri Deshpande (Sacred Games and Sexy Durga), and Sandhya Mridul (Page 3, Angry Indian Goddesses) in prominent roles.

 The film which was shot in Manali, Majuli (Assam) and Chennai, follows the story of a boatman who becomes the caretaker of a Himalayan resort after an attempted suicide.

 The film has its World Premiere at the prestigious 24th Busan International Film festival 2019. Nirvana Inn was the only Indian project selected for the Asian Project Market (APM) in Busan which is Asia’s largest project market and was awarded the prestigious Asian Cinema Fund.

 The Chennai based writer-director Vijay Jayapal who made his debut with acclaimed Tamil film, Revelations which was available on Netflix says “I was incredibly excited when I found out that the grading of our film was to be done at the same studio where Snowpiercer was worked on.” He added, ” These funds enable us to work with international technicians to make truly International Films and it will show when you see the film.”

 The film is produced by Stray Factory, Uncombed Buddha, Stop Whinging (Australia) and Harman Ventures in association with Magic Hour Films (Singapore). The producers issued a collective statement saying, “With Theatres closed and OTTs crowded, Independent films have to find truly independent ways of distributing their film. We have decide on an unconventional release because this gives the power to the audience to decide the fate of the film, we hope this sets a trend for many more independent films” 

 The noted actor Adil Hussain who plays the lead role in the film says, “Nirvana Inn is very unique in its narrative. We hardly see this style in Indian Cinema. I loved how the reality of my role easily slips into nightmarish vision. Very intelligently done. Never played a role of this kind. I think Vijay Jayapal has a lot to offer to Indian Cinema. I hope he gets what he really wants to.”

 The Sacred Games actor Rajshri Deshpande says, “It was a great experience being part of a folk horror and playing a mysterious character. Was a joy working with Vijay, Adil and Sandhya.”

Page 3 actor Sandhya Mridul says, “Vijay brings a simple real personal approach to his films & a normalcy in the handling of relationships between characters .. and a palpable emotional thread occasionally which is interesting especially in the genre of horror it’s more uncomfortable and  then terrifying. For me this role was easy and then not.”

“I was terrified myself at the end of it. So be scared,  be very scared. It’s a good date night movie. Enjoy!” she signs off with a laugh.

 Logline

A boatman fleeing a tragic incident is haunted by his dark past when he takes a job as manager of a mysterious resort up in the Mountains.

About Writer-director: Vijay Jayapal is Chennai based Indian film director. His directorial debut Revelations (2016), a Tamil language Drama premiered at the 21st Busan International Film Festival and was available on Netflix. His second feature Nirvana Inn also had its premiere at  24th Busan International Film Festival after receiving the Asian Cinema Fund for post-production. The film was also a part of the Asian Project Market in Busan.

Director’s Note: I came across a report a few years ago that a European aircraft had crashed into the mountains because one of the co-pilots was having suicidal thoughts and had intentionally crashed the flight. I found this incident disturbing and intriguing in equal measure. How can someone decide to not just take his own life, but also the lives of others along with him? What could have possibly been running through his mind?

Worse, what if this person had survived the incident and had to live for the rest of his life with that guilt? These thoughts led me to write Nirvana Inn. The film’s predominant theme is guilt and how it plays out in the mind of the protagonist.

I strongly felt that horror would be the best genre to explore this theme, in an unconventional and subversive way. Nirvana Inn is not your regular horror film with jump scares, creepy music, and manipulative camera angles.

It is more of a character study in a slow burn narrative that blurs the line between realism and mystery. My first feature was deeply rooted in realism. This new film took me into a territory that has more mystique, that’s unique in terms of narrative and refreshing in terms of filmmaking. I’m quite thrilled with the outcome.

Cinemapreneur is a pay-per-view OTT platform for curating the best of Indian independent cinema, whether it’s shorts, features or documentaries. The OTT follows a model where viewers can directly watch the film by paying for it, without having to subscribe to the platform. Cinemapreneur curates hand-picked independent films from India, offering some rare gems to the film lovers. While the OTT was being set up, we also organised hundreds of offline screenings for indie films in the last 7-8 years with a deep understanding of curating independent films for alternate venues or festivals.

By going online, Cinemapreneur is trying to empower filmmakers by providing a platform that is easily accessible while keeping the spotlight on individual films through the pay-per-view system. Filmmakers now have the option to release their films virtually without having to wait for festivals or splurge on renting theatres. Users can stream the films by paying for individual content and a majority of the revenue goes back to creators who maintain autonomy over their work. When users pay for a film, they support filmmakers directly