Artist turned filmmaker son Owais Hussain, son of veteran controversial artist MF Hussain who is in exile now, is about to hit the headlines of the entertainment news world with the release of his directorial debut Pehla Sitara. The movie was under production for more than a year.

Talking about the movie, Owais said, "As I wanted to have a creative freedom on the film, I did not associate it with any big film company. Pehla Nasha is out and out an independent feature."

The movie stars Bollywood actor Kunal Kapoor of Rang de Basanti fame and actress Sonal Chauhan of Jannat fame. It depicts the journey of a storyteller to different places that evoke a montage of emotions in him.

According to Owais, the film was shot in Chandigarh and Punjab as it required lots of breathing space to tell the tale easily.

The debutant director has earlier assisted his father in the movies Meenaxi: A Tale Of Three Cities and Gaja Gamini. Owais said that he prepared himself to make a film by experimenting on his father's movie-making ventures. He used to experiment with video and cinema much before he became a painter.

Kunal Kapoor, who earlier worked with Owais in Meenaxi, was the first choice of the director. He found Kunal to be perfect for the role of a wandering storyteller. Pehla Sitara is scheduled to release in January 2011.