Anant Mahadevan plans to book a December slot for his upcoming Marathi film, Bittersweet. "I have kept the story ruthlessly true to its core to garner a global appeal," says the director, who hopes to capture world audience with his tale about women workers in the sugar fields of Beed district in Maharashtra, who are forced to get a hysterectomy to survive.

After being nominated for Jiseok Awards at the Busan International Film Festival, he wants to send the movie to the Oscars. "I want to take Indian cinema to a level where it won't be scoffed at during festivals. I want to release Bittersweet theatrically in December because that's the cut-off date for Oscars selections," says the director, adding that after releasing in theatres, it will be distributed digitally.