Director Nila Madhab Panda (second from right) with other international artistes at Cannes Film Festival, 2012. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, May 30: This is his third year at Cannes, yet for Nila Madhab Panda, the director with roots in Odisha, the experience was as fresh and exciting as his first one. After a gap of two years, Panda had the same butterflies fluttering in his stomach when his latest film Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, a week ago.

Panda recalls that he felt similar anxiety when his first film I am Kalam was screened at the same venue. The Cannes Film Festival has always been a favourite of many film-makers all over the world and is also considered as the most glamourous film fests to attend. Although, Panda’s film was a light year away from glamour and pomp, it did not have any difficulty in creating a special place in the jury’s heart.

“I have always believed in reaching out to a wider audience and it is overwhelming to see film enthusiasts from all over the world — Korea, China, Japan, South Africa — watching my film and appreciating it. Previously, it was so difficult to get takers for a Bollywood film. But things have improved dramatically. I am looking forward to releasing Jalpari in Korea since I received the maximum appreciation from the Koreans,” said the director.

The director with child artiste Leher Khan (top) and actor Parvin Dabbas (above) on the sets of Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid. Telegraph pictures

Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid is about a young girl, played by child artiste Leher Khan, and how she reacts to the concept of female foeticide that is prevalent in north India.

This being the core of the story, Panda also addresses other serious social problems such illiteracy, water scarcity and inequality in the film.

The film has been shot in the villages of Delhi and Haryana and features Parvin Dabbas, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Suhasini Mulay and Rahul Singh.

“I am glad to have directed a children’s film because there is a huge demand for children’s cinema all over the world. I think the international film fraternity always expects something more than fights, action and romance as they already have these in their films and maybe that is the reason why my films have always received a standing ovation,” adds Panda.

For Panda, Cannes is his Mecca as he gets an opportunity to know about various modes of film-making and meet the geniuses behind great films. “Unless you are here in Cannes, you won’t know what is happening on the world cinema scene,” said Panda. The much-awaited film Jalpari: The Desert Mermaid is expected to release in India on July 20.