Director Smita Bhide’s debut feature film, The Blue Tower, has been nominated for Best UK Feature at the Raindance Film Festival this year.

The film’s stars include Manjinder Virk (Britz), Kayvan Novak (Fonejacker), Indira Joshi (Kumars at No 42), Madhav Sharma (Coronation Street) and Abhin Galeya (The Bill’s Arun Ghir, pictured) as the hapless hero, Mohan.

Mohan is unsatisfied with his life. He is unhappy with his arranged marriage and, struggling to find a job, he is being pressured by his father-in-law to join the family firm. With both of his parents dead and with few prospects in life, he is reliant on his overbearing bed-ridden aunt Kamla for financial security, and begins to find respite from his menial life in her new nurse – embarking on an affair with her.

At the onset, it seems to be exactly what he needs from life. But it’s not long before some dark and sinister secrets begin to emerge, throwing a spanner into the works once again.

Smita Bhide studied screen writing at the NFTS in 1992. She worked for three years as an advice worker for the women’s campaigning group Southall Black Sisters, and worked at C4 and Carlton (1989-92) as a researcher and production assistant on the documentaries: ‘Banding File’, ‘On The Other Hand’, ‘The Provoked Wife’ and ‘Dilly Down Town’. In 1994, she founded Monkey In Heaven Films with Jamie Nuttgens.

The Blue Tower will be screened on 2nd Oct (8.45pm) at Cineworld Shaftsury Avenue, London.