Indian filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor charms the crowd at Salam Bombay

In India, arthouse films are often referred to as the "parallel cinema", and one of the country's masters of the craft is in town for the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Hyderabad native Nagesh Kukunoor came for the screening of his film Lakshmi, which is a disturbing depiction of human trafficking.

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, love, and prosperity, but that's not what's in store for the title character, who's kidnapped and sold into prostitution at the age of 14.

Kukunoor, who plays a pimp in Lakshmi, was the star attraction at a dinner held in his honour at Salam Bombay on Sunday (October 5).

During a question-and-answer session before the meal, the director revealed that he was inspired to make the film after meeting victims of human trafficking.

Kukunoor, who's perhaps best known for Hyderabad Blues, also said that he couldn't possibly cover the magnitude of this problem in one film, so he decided to focus in on one character and tell her story. He left no doubt, however, that what he showed is occurring on a massive scale in India.

In a surprising aside, he confessed that when he makes movies he never watches the dailies, which are the first prints created from what's shot on the previous day.

That surprised the questioner, Anil Patadé, a Vancouver accountant and location specialist who's worked on three Pirates of the Caribbean films, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, and Fifty Shades of Grey.