Feature Narratives · Filmmaker Q&A · Asia Premiere

Ustad Bantoo

Directed by Arsh Jain

Screening at DIFF 2026

Sat31 10:00 AM to 12:00 PMSaturday 31 Oct · PictureTime 2

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Runtime: 120 min
Year: 2026
Country: India
Language: Hindi
Subtitles: English
Premiere: Asia

Synopsis

Bantoo, a young trumpet player in an Indian wedding band, no longer finds satisfaction in routine wedding music. His life changes unexpectedly when he encounters a street musician, sparking an obsession to discover his ‘own music’. This pursuit clashes with his bandmates, who view music pragmatically, as a means to send money home to their families each month. Unburdened by heavy responsibilities, Bantoo navigates the cynical world of wedding bands with his newfound quest, risking his relationships and livelihood in the process.

Director

Arsh JainArsh Jain is a 24-year-old filmmaker based in Delhi. His debut short film, 2BHK (2024), screened across seven Indian cities through independent film clubs. The film is available to stream on BREW OTT. Arsh began his artistic journey in theatre in 2019, acting in over ten productions before moving into directing. He…

Cast and crew

Producer: Arsh Jain, Jyotsana Rajpurohit, Dhruv Solanki
Writer: Arsh Jain
Cinematographer: Samraj Agarwal
Editor: Arsh Jain
Sound: Bharat Kishore Mehra
Music: Aman Gupta
Cast: Kashi Kumar Dubey, Aman Ambawata, Sankalp Bharadwaj, Sachin Kumar, Shivam Khurrana