Kochi, June 4 (IANS) ‘Dam 999’, a tribute to the victims of the 1975 Banqiao dam disaster in China, is getting closer for release as its shooting has been completed.

Director Sohan Roy told IANS that with the shoot now over, the post-production work of the film is taking place in Chennai and Mumbai.

‘The first print will be ready by Oct 1 and by the first week of November, it will go for the Oscar bidding. It will be released in December,’ Roy said.

The film is produced by Middle East-based Marine BizTV and directed by Roy, CEO of Aries Telecasting Limited, the parent company of Marine BizTV in Dubai.

‘Dam 999’ will be released in both English and Malayalam.

The cast includes National Award-winning actor Rajit Kapur, Ashish Vidyarthi, Linda Arsenio, Joshua Fredric Smith, Jaala Pickering, Megha Burman, Vimala Raman, Vinay Rai and Jineet Rath.

Roy, a naval architect by profession, said: ‘The film is a classic emotional thriller and is an attempt to highlight the unseen beauty of the maritime world in the backdrop of the rich Indian culture.’

”Dam 999′ intends to imprint the Vedic concept of Navarasas and Navagrahas along with the magical curing power of Ayurveda in its characters and situations. It speaks about a colonial dam, its disaster, the nine characters and their emotions,’ he said.

The movie is a tribute to the victims of dam disaster. The story was inspired by the 1975 Banqiao dam disaster in China which claimed over 250,000 lives.

The crew includes Ajayan Vincent (director of photography), Sreekar Prasad (editor), Thotta Tharani (production designer), Ouseppachan (music) and singers K.S. Chithra and P. Jayachandran, among others.