“Wishfully thinking I’d love to believe that this will set a precedent in a kind of animation film never seen before but easy to digest, enjoy, recommend, and revisit again after a few years,” Rao told Variety. “Maybe make people more open to Indian stories in animation not restricted to mythology or fantasy or superheroes. Stories about common people that work for all ages and stages as well as class of people.”

The director credits India’s Cinestaan Film Company for helping to fund Bombay Rose and “[standing] by steadfastly” during the project’s financial struggles. The feature was co-produced with France’s Les Films d’ici and the U.K.’s Goldfinch Entertainment. Anand Mahindra and Rohit Khattar of Cinestaan produced.

Animation was handled by Mumbai-based Paperboat Animation Studios. The film will play in the Contemporary World Cinema strand at the Toronto Int’l Film Festival later this week.

Early reviews have broadly praised Bombay Rose, singling out its lush visuals while criticizing aspects of the plot and characterization.

Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote:

[E]ven though [the film] touches on painful subjects such as forced marriage, the taboo against Hindu-Muslim relationships, and the economic exploitation of children, this is no poverty-porn wallow in Third World misfortune made exclusively for the West. Instead, Rao demonstrates a lightness of touch and a very Bollywood knack for melodrama and entertainment that should make the work appealing to both domestic and international audiences as a niche release.

Xan Brooks awarded the film three stars in The Guardian: