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Film inspired by India's first female sumo wrestler to premiere at Tokyo Film Fest

Sumo Didi is directed by Jayant Rohatgi and presented by Jio Studios. Chaitnya Sharma and the late Nitesh Pandey also round out the cast of the movie.

Film inspired by India's first female sumo wrestler to premiere at Tokyo Film Fest

Sumo Didi, a film billed as an ode to India's first female sumo wrestler Hetal Dave, will have its world premiere at the ongoing Tokyo International Film Festival.

Featuring Shriyam Bhagnani in the title role, the movie will be screened under the Asian Future segment on October 27 at the gala, according to the festival's official website.


Sumo Didi is directed by Jayant Rohatgi and presented by Jio Studios. Chaitnya Sharma and the late Nitesh Pandey also round out the cast of the movie.

"Tokyo Welcomes Sumo Didi! An ode to India's first Female Sumo wrestler, the film will have its World Premiere at #TokyoInternationalFilmFestival.

"A tale of empowerment & resilience, Sumo Didi starring Shriyam Bhagnani has also been selected in the competition category under the Asian Future section," Jio Studios posted on X on Wednesday.

Sumo Didi follows Hetal (Bhagnani), a talented wrestler, who discovers sumo by chance, but her road to improvement is very steep. Unwilling to give up her dream, she goes to Japan and endures rigorous training, as per the official plotline on the festival's website.

The film is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Akash Chawla, Arunava Joy Sengupta, and Amit Chandrra.

Chawla and Sengupta are also credited for the story, while the screenplay and dialogue are from Nikhil Sachan. It is co-presented by The Japan Foundation.

The movie is a Freshlime Films and Math Entertainment Network Pvt Ltd production.

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  • Yash says he humanised Ravana to help global audiences relate to the character.
  • Asura designs in the first glimpse drew criticism for looking too Western-inspired.
  • Producer Namit Malhotra compares the film's tone to Lord of the Rings and Gladiator.
Yash, who plays the demon king Ravana in Nitesh Tiwari's Ramayana, says his portrayal was shaped by one clear goal: making the character relatable beyond Indian audiences.
Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas this week, where the film was presented alongside major Hollywood releases, the actor said he worked to strip away the purely mythological reading of the role.

"I have tried to internalise the whole essence of Ravana and tried to make him as human as possible at times," Yash told Reuters.

"It is important for people to relate to him, and since we have global ambitions, we need to make it familiar to a Western audience as well."

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