Nagesh Kukunoor's upcoming film Dhanak (Rainbow)has been selected for the 65th Berlin International Film Festival which commences on February 5. It will compete in the Generation KPlus category, a section adjudged by an 11-member jury of children aged between 11and 14 years.

The director, known for films like Iqbal, Dor and Hyderabad Blues, is elated.When contacted, he told Mirror, “I had promised myself that I would never attend the Berlinale till one of my films make it to the festival. I cannot believe this has actually happened!“ Like his National Award-winning film Iqbal, Dhanak also features a protagonist with a disability, but in a dramatically different environment. The film revolves around an eight-year-old blind boy whose 11-year-old sister promises him he will get his vision back before he turns 10. The film follows the duo on a life-changing journey through the desert sands of Rajasthan.

Nagesh points out that unlike his last film, the dark and disturbing drama Lakshmi about a teenage prostitute, Dhanak celebrates life. “One day, while working on another film, the story of a blind boy and a little girl flashed through my mind. And I instantly knew I had to make this film. As clichéd as it sounds, this story came from within me,“ he says.

Buzz is, Shah Rukh Khan has done a cameo in the film. “SRK's stardom is vital to the story and marks a conclusive end to the children's journey,“ he says, somewhat enigmatically. “Beyond that, I can't say much.“