Vijay Varma's 'Dahaad' to premiere at Berlin International Film Festival

Excel Entertainment and Tiger Baby Films' 'Dahaad' will have its world premiere at the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival under the Berlinale Series programme. 'Dahaad', an eight-part crime drama, is directed by Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi. It features Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Varma, Gulshan Devaiah, and Sohum Shah in the lead.

Set in a small, sleepy town in Rajasthan, the story follows sub-inspector Anjali Bhaati (Sinha) and her colleagues at the local police station.

"When a series of women are mysteriously found dead in public bathrooms, Sub-Inspector Anjali Bhaati is tasked with the investigation. At first, the deaths appear to be clear-cut suicides but as the cases unravel, Anjali begins to suspect that a serial killer is on the loose. What follows is a riveting game of cat and mouse between a seasoned criminal and an underdog cop as she pieces together evidence before another innocent woman loses her life," the plotline reads.

Berlinale Series, the section established by the festival in 2015, offers an exclusive first look at new series productions from around the world.

The programme presents works of creators who consistently use the creative freedom of serial storytelling and complement the variety of formats with relevant and contemporary narratives.

Other shows which are part of Berlinale Series programme are 'Agent' (Denmark), 'Arkitekten' (Norway), 'Bad Behaviour' (Australia), 'The Good Mothers' (United Kingdom), 'Spy/Master' (Romania/Germany) and 'Why Try to Change Me Now' (China).

As per the festival website, the shows will be competing for the first-ever Berlinale Series Award, inaugurated in cooperation with entertainment website Deadline. The winner will be chosen by the international jury consisting of actor Andre Holland, executive Dana Stern and screenwriter Mette Heeno.

Germany and Belgium's co-production 'Der Schwarm' (The Swarm) will screen out of competition.

Cinema legend Satyajit Ray's classic 'Aparajito' will be screened as part of the Retrospective section of the festival.

Indian director Gautam Bora's 'Ein Herbst im Landchen Barwalde', documenting the everyday work and life perspectives of a family of farmers from Brandenburg, Germany, is part of the Documentary section.

'No Stranger at All' by Priya Sen will also have its international premiere at the gala. Through a collection of incomplete fictions, Sen's film portrays Delhi in times of lockdown.

Berlin International Film Festival is scheduled to take place from February 16 to 26.