Ruskin Bond lauds short film on his story ‘The Black Cat’

Mumbai, Sep 8 (IANS) Celebrated author Ruskin Bond has given the thumbs up to Bhargav Saikia's "The Black Cat", a short film which is an official adaptation of an eponymous short story by the writer.

Saikia arranged a special screening of the film in Mussoorie for Ruskin Bond earlier this week.

The 83-year-old author said in a statement: "Bhargav Saikia has made ('The Black Cat') into a very effective 20-minute short film.

"The film would be of great interest to school children as well as to adults and aficionados of cinema. The film is very atmospheric. Bhargav does catch the atmosphere of maybe an old fashioned hill station and the sort of characters that live there, and he brings in the supernatural and the fantastic in a subtle way and doesn't overdo it.

"Overall, it's a fine little film and I think it will lead to many other creations of his in the coming years."

The film features veteran actor Tom Alter as Ruskin Bond and Shernaz Patel as an English witch Miss Bellows and a black cat.

Saikia, whose earlier film credits include "Kaafiron Ki Namaaz" and "Awakenings", feels encouraged by Ruskin Bond's response.

"I have a keen interest in fantasy and horror cinema, and 'The Black Cat' was the perfect story for me to explore these fascinating genres," he said, adding that it was a dream-come-true for him to have got a chance to adapt a story by Ruskin Bond.