INDIA, Dec. 1 -- For first-time producer Hemanshu Rai, the decision to step into cinema came unexpectedly and at the eleventh hour. With no plans to enter the film industry, he found himself moved by a script and a first-time director's passion, setting in motion the creation of Khoya Paya, a film that has since found its way to the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

"It was December when Ashutosh Singh approached me in Goa with the script. At the time, he had a different cast in mind. He finalised the cast after I came on board," recalls Hemanshu.

Director Ashutosh Singh, also making his debut, signed on acclaimed actors Seema Biswas, Chandan Roy Sanyal, and Anjali Patil.

With the Kumbh Mela approaching, time was a ruth...