India’s Iroller Media and Entertainment has partnered with Helsinki-based Norse Key Productions to handle distribution of “Bicycle Thief” across Europe and the U.S.
Norse Key founder Maria Kivinen will oversee the distribution push for the film, directed by Darshan Ashwin Trivedi. This marks the first European-U.S. distribution deal for the Ahmedabad-based Iroller.
“Bicycle Thief” centres on Savji, a Dalit man who leaves the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in 1993, seeking work and dignity in Sanand, Ahmedabad after years under bonded labour. He pays INR200 (then $6.50) for a second-hand bicycle to secure a factory job, only to be arrested when police identify the bike as stolen. He spends two days in custody maintaining his innocence before his life ends in tragedy. A parallel present-day strand follows a filmmaker named Rahul piecing together the truth of what happened to Savji. Director Trivedi spent close to a decade researching the real incident on which the film is based, which he has described as an unresolved case forgotten from Dalit history.
The production is Trivedi’s seventh feature and a tribute to Italian neorealist Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic “Bicycle Thieves.” The cast includes Hemant Kher – best known for his role in Sony LIV’s “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story” – alongside Samvedna Suwalka. The film was produced by Milap Sinh Jadeja, Jignesh Patel, and Trivedi, with cinematography by Tapan Vyas and music by the duo Kedar-Bhargav.
“Norse Key is thrilled to add to its portfolio the first feature film from India which explores important human values and has a universal appeal,” Kivinen said. “‘Bicycle Thief’ is exactly the kind of film that deserves to be seen and felt by audiences everywhere.”
Trivedi’s earlier features include “Mrugtrushna (The Other Side of the River),” which won the Gujarat State Award in 2022 and the Golden Butterfly Award for best screenplay at the 33rd International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Iran, and “Mara Pappa Superhero,” which took best children’s film at the 20th Annual Tiburon International Film Festival.
Leave a Reply