Sanjay Patel’s Union Leader – the first Indo-Canadian collaboration was screened at the IFFI- Goa recently. It was the only Indian film to be screened in the Cinema of The World category in IFFI. Union Leader stars Rahul Bhat (of Ugly fame), Tillottama Shome (of Monsoon Wedding, A Death in the Gunj fame), is the story of Union Leader inspired from real life events that Sanjay Patel experienced as he worked as an engineer in chemical plants in India. The plight of the workers trapped is an endless cycle of abuse and generational poverty as they become victims of the poor health and safety standards in Indian factories. Sanjay Patel says “It is a sad fact that our labor workforce still works under such terrible working conditions in Indian factories . Union Leader is a powerful story about the brutal reality of our times, a story inspired by real life incidents. This is an inspirational story that I was compelled to make, shot against the backdrop of toxic chemical plants on real locations.” It is an Indo-Canadian co-production slated to release in cinemas across India on 19 January, 2018.
