Oscar bound film’s director denied US visa

US consulate in Mumbai did not know Paresh Mokashi

Paresh Mokashi, whose Marathi film "Harishchandrachi Factory" has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars, is stuck without a visa to the US.The US consulate in Mumbai refused to give him the visa, saying they didn't know him or that his film is going for the Oscars. "I don't really blame them. I didn't have a face that was instantly recognisable. They didn't know who I was. And I had no papers to prove that this disoriented looking man had made a film that had been sent to the Oscars," Mokashi told IANS. The director had no papers, not even a letter from the Academy Awards committee to prove his eligibility for the visa because he had given all the documents to his producers - UTV. "Whatever intimation I received about the Oscar entry from the US, I handed over to UTV. But, of course, the US consulate didn't say I was lying. They rightly felt I was not eligible until I had the documents. This was my first encounter for an American visa. And naturally my first trip to the US," said Mokashi. "The only time I've been abroad was to London to shoot a part of 'Hrishchandrachi Factory'. So I was completely unaware of how things work. I don't know how to handle it," added the director who had to mortgage his property to make the film. UTV had to step in to rescue the director, who needs to be in LA from Nov 2. "The US consulate has promised to give me a visa after taking my passport. They said they'd grant me a visa. Let's see. They had yet to decide for how long and in what capacity. They seem to have a very thin line dividing the people who want to visit for genuine reasons from those who are wrongly motivated," he said. Mokashi hopes to be in the US for 25 days in November to promote the film for the Oscars. "I need to understand the situation. I've never been to the Oscars, have no idea of how the Oscars work. I also need to be back for the film's release in India. Then I return to the US to be with the film till the Oscars," he said. Indo-Asian News Service