I didn`t want to spoon-feed my audience: Palekar

41st International Film Festival of India, Goa 22 November-02 December, 2010
day 8 | nov 29 2010
IFFIDAILY
PLAYING TODAY:
KAAGAZ KE PHOOL
INOX SCREEN II, 6 pm
Celebrating the Power of Celluloid
I operate in ultra-violet
and infra-red zones:
Jan Jakub Kolski
Gautam valluri
‘It always feels
great to be back
in home country’
F
ilm director, cinematographer and screenwriter
Jan Jakub Kolski debuted as a director of feature
films in 1990, with the intriguing Pogrzeb
Kartofla (The Burial of the Potato). His Jańcio Wodnik
(Johnnie, the aquarius, 1993) proved a spectacular
success, and his latest, ‘Weneecja’ (Venice, 2010) has
been very well received at iFFi, where it is being
shown as part of an eight-film retrospective.
Talking to the media on Sunday, he said he feels
satisfied with his own efforts only if at least 50 per cent
of what he wanted to achieve got translated on screen.
With ‘Venice’, he felt he had achieved that 50 per cent.
after iFFi, he has received invitations from Pune,
mumbai and Kolkata film festivals.
He came here practically unknown, with only one
of his films having been screened at iFFi in 2006 ‘Jasminum’, and the few days he had spent here on
this, his first visit, have been the most astonishing experiences of his life. many persons have told him that
his films are very indian. He had similar experiences
in Japan and germany, where he was told that his films
were so Japanese or so german! This leads him to conclude that his films have acquired a universality that
he has just recently become aware of.
at 54, Kolski is young. He feels most persons
above 50 start getting cynical. But to remain a good
filmmaker, a director must avoid getting cynical. and
if he does become cynical, he should stop making
films. Back in Poland, Kolski teaches cinema at a film
school and among his current batch of students are two
india men, he revealed. Both have long hair and are
handsome. But neither of them acknowledged his
presence or greeted him on the campus. But some time
ago, when news reached them that a retrospective of
his films was going to be held at iFFi, they changed
their attitude completely. now, they bow to him 12
times a day, and have enrolled for his sessions as well,
he added, with a smile.
asked about his artistic inspiration, he replied,
“air!” at the cost of sounding arrogant, he insisted that
his inspiration indeed came from the air. about his
style and technique, he said most filmmakers worked
in the visible spectrum of light, but he chooses to operate in the ultra-violet and infra-red ranges! His threefold mantra for aspiring film-makers: 1. make an effort
to move people emotionally 2. narrate a good story 3.
leave such a mark that even the colour of your eyes
should be seen in your films.
Kolski understands english but addressed the gathering in Polish, which was interpreted by a Polish lady
named monica, who had worked as a teacher in new
delhi for some time.
—Siraj Syed
‘Slumdog millionaire’ star Frieda Pinto
added some more star power to the ongoing 41st
international Film Festival of india in goa, where
her latest film ‘You Will meet a Tall dark
Stranger’, director by celebrated director Woody
allen, was premiered on Sunday.
in her very short visit, she walked the red Carpet and introduced her film to the audience at inox
screen i which was packed to the capacity.
“it’s so great to see that your film is houseful… some people don’t even have a place to
sit… this makes the director and actors very
happy. They know that you are here to support,”
the actress said.
earlier, she was welcomed and felicitated by
Festival director Sm Khan, before the screening
of her film at the festival.
“i am very happy that india has a successful film
festival like goa film festival (iFFi)…. Because it
gives a lot of small films a chance to showcase themselves. So thank you so much… you are very much
responsible for making this festival a success. So give
yourself a big hand,” Pinto told the audience.
She also thanked the Festival director Sm Khan
for screening small-budget films like her’s at iFFi.
She said that she had a great time shooting the
film and working with the director. “i have never
been to an acting school…. i had a great experience working for this Woody allen film… got so
much to learn from him,” she said.
introducing her film, she said: “The film leaves
you with a message that grass is greener on the other
side. The message is for you and me. Whether it’s
good or bad, that’s for you to decide. But for me,
this film has been an eye-opening experience.”
on being asked how did she feel being back in
india, the mumbai-born actress said: “i am an indian
so i am always in india… and i love india and it always feels great to be in your home county.”
Talking about her upcoming projects, besides
‘YmaTdS’ and ‘miral’, she said: “i would be
working on this film called ‘Black gold’, which will
be shot in Tunisia. Then there are two other films:
the ‘rise of the apes’ and ‘immortals’ coming up.”
— Shambhu Sahu
I didn’t want to spoon-feed my audience: Palekar
noTed filmmaker amol Palekar said on Sunday that it was a very conscious decision on his
part to not to have a linear, straight forward narration in his latest film ‘dhoosar’, which was
premiered at the ongoing iFFi-2010.
“We have not used any typical gimmick like
having the flashback sequences in sepia tone to
spoon feed the audiences,” Palekar said, while
speaking to the reporters about his latest film.
“The script demanded such a treatment as the
film goes back and forth to revive the images and
memory of a woman suffering from alzheimer’s
disease,” the actor-turned-director said, adding
the subject decides the language of the film that
he sets out to make. He said he was very happy
with the way the goa government helped him to
shoot his film all over the state. i have suggested
to the Chief minister of goa that special concessions should be made for regional filmmakers,
including marathis, as they cannot afford to pay
heavy shooting charges like Hindi filmmakers or
ad filmmakers, he added.
meanwhile, Sandhya gokhale, his wife and
screenplay writer, costume designer and production designer of the film, said that it is a myth
that because of the mushrooming of the multiplexes, small-budget filmmakers like Palekar
and herself are happy. “in reality, the multi-
Amol Palekar at the press conference on Sunday
plexes do a great disservice to such filmmakers
by giving them a wrong slot and pricing the tickets as high as rs 200 per head,” she said.
The cast of the film – reema lagoo, Smita
Tambe, upendra limaye, Jyoti Subhash, amruta
Khanvilkar and urmila Kanetkar - were also
present at the press conference.
lagoo, who plays the protagonist of the film
who suffers from alzheimer’s disease, confessed
that she did take time to read the script, which
was beautiful but at the same time painful. She,
however, added that she did not realise how
tough her role was while shooting for the film,
as the director had shot the various scenes in
parts. “i enjoyed working in ‘dhoosar’… amol
Palekar is one filmmaker who knows what to underline and what to eliminate as a director to enhance his sequences,” she added.
actor upendra limaye said ‘dhoosar’ is his
fourth film with the director, whose earlier film
‘Bangarwadi’ had got him recognition as an
actor. He added that he started getting “interesting roles” only after bagging the national award
for the Best actor for his performance in marathi
film ‘Jogwa’. “i am happy amol Sir thought that
i could do justice to the role in ‘dhoosar’, as it
is a character which has a gradual metamorphosis
from being evil to positive… otherwise, i have
often been saddled with negative roles in my career,” he said.
actress Smita Tambe, who too had acted in
Jogwa, said that she had actually gone to audition
for a minor role in the film and was in tears when
Palekar told her that she did not fit the bill. But she
was “overjoyed and could not believe” when the
director told her that she had been selected for the
role of reema’s daughter in the film.
— Jyothi Venkatesh
@ IFFI TODAY
n Press conference by mike Pandey,
Sanskar desai and ramesh Tekwani
on Documentary and Short Film Making in India at 11 am at Media Centre.
n
Press conference by Freida Pinto
and amit jumani on their film ‘You
Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger’ at 12
noon at Media Centre.
n Press conference by filmmaker jean
becker on retrospective on his films at
3 pm at Media Centre.
n Press conference by Goutam Ghose
and daisy Gili (SFC Juries for International Competition); Naresh bedi, romulus Whitaker and helmut
Groschup (SFC Juries for Vasudha
Award) at 4 pm at Media Centre.
n Open Forum at Inox Courtyard at
1.30 pm. Topic: New Wave Taiwanese
Films. Speakers: Wen Chyi Ong, Gang
Lee, Wang Yu Lin, Hou Chi Jan.
n Screening of veteran cinematographer VK Murthy’s films ‘Kaagaz Ke
Phool’ and ‘Pyaasa’ at 3.30 pm and 6
pm respectively at Inox II.
2
IFFIDAILY
November 29, 2010
Today’s Screening Schedule
INOX SCREEN I
08.30 A.M.
11.00 A.M.
UNDER THE SUN AND
MOON
Dir. Bennett Rathnayake
Sri Lanka/2010/124 min./
Col./35mm (CW)
02.00 P.M.
04.30 P.M.
07.00 P.M.
POLIGAMY
THE EXTRA MAN
Dir. Denes Orosz
Hungary/2009/85 min./
Col./35mm (CW)
Dir. Shari Springer Berman &
Robert Pulcini
USA/France/2010/105 min./
Col./DG-Beta (CW)
THE SICILIAN GIRL
(LA SICILIANA
RIBELLE)
LOST HERITAGE
(HERITAGE PERAU)
Dir. Christian Lara
Guadeloupe/2010/100 min./
Col./ 35mm (CW)
Dir. Marco Amenta
Italy/France/ 2009115 min./
Col./35mm (CW)
INOX SCREEN II
10.00 A.M.
**RUPBAN (IP)
(Repeat Show)
Dir: Supriyo Sen
Bengali/27min
12.30 P.M.
3.30 P.M.
6.00 P.M.
Tribute :
Sujit Kumar
Masterstroke
V.K. Murthy
A short film on V.K.
Murthy
Produced by Films Division
Masterstroke
V.K. Murthy
AARADHANA
I AM KALAM (IP)
Dir: Shakti Samanta
Hindi/169min.
(Repeat Show)
Dir: Nila Madhab Panda
Hindi/87min
PYAASA
8.30 P.M.
CANCELLED
KAGAZ KE PHOOL
Dir: Guru Dutt
Hindi/148min
Dir: Guru Dutt
Hindi/ 146min
INOX SCREEN III
09.00 AM
11.30 A.M.
02.30 P.M.
YOUNG GIRLS IN
BLACK (DES FILES
EN NOIR)
PARPADOS AZULES
STRANGER THAN
PARADISE
Dir. Ernesto Contreras
Mexico/2007/98 min.
Col./ 35mm
(CF-M)
Dir. Jean Paul Civeyrac
France/2010/85 min./Col./
35 mm (CK-2010)
05.00 P.M.
07.30 P.M.
SPECIAL SCREENING
DOWN BY LAW
SUCH A LONG
JOURNEY
Dir. Jim Jarmusch
USA/1984/89 min./Col./ 35mm
(Rt. JJ)
Dir. Sturla Gunnarsson
Canada/UK/1998/113
min./ Col./35mm
Dir. Jim Jarmusch
USA/1986/107
min./Col./ 35mm
(Rt. JJ)
INOX SCREEN IV
09.15 AM
11.45 A.M.
02.45 P.M.
05.15 P.M.
IN OUR TIME
THREE
QUARTERS
OUR LAST SPRING
(EROICA)
Dir. Roberto Longo
Italy/2009/75
min./Col./ DG-Beta
(CD)
Dir. Michael Cacoyannis
Greece/1960/120 min./
B&W/35mm (Rt. MC)
MARIA IN NOBODY'S
LAND (MARIA EN
TIERRA DE NADIE)
Dir. Te-Chen Tao,
Eduard Yang,
I-Chen Ko, Yi Chang)
Taiwan/1982/106
min./Col./ 35mm
(TNWC)
07.45 P.M.
Dir. Marcela Zamora
Chamorro
El Salvador/2010/89 min./
Col./DG-Beta (I-VBI)
CERTIFIED COPY
Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
France/2010/106 min./ Col./DG-Beta (CK-2010)
(I-VBI)
MAQUINEZ 1
09.30 AM
NFA Gold
National Award for
Best Feature
Film 1960
ANURADHA
12.00 P.M.
3.00 P.M.
05.30 P.M.
8.00 P.M.
3 IDIOTS (IP)
**MY DADDY
STRONGEST (IP)
**DHURUVA
NATCHARITRAM
Centenary : Motilal
Dir: Suresh Triveni
English/17min
(Repeat Show)
Dir: S. Aravind (IP)
Tamil/11min
(Repeat Show)
Dir: Gajendra Ahire
Marathi/120min
(Repeat Show)
Dir: Shyamaprasad
Malayalam/130min
(Repeat Show)
Dir: Rajkumar Hirani
Hindi/170min
(Repeat Show)
PAIL TE SUMBARAN (IP)
Dir: Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
Hindi/141 min
ELEKTRA (IP)
ANAARI
Dir: Hrishikesh
Mukherjee
Hindi/170min
KALA ACADEMY
09.30 AM
SHIT YEAR
Dir. Cam Archer
USA/2010/95 min./Col.
35mm (IC)
(Rt.-MC) Retrospective - Michael Cacoyannis
(Rt.-MN) Retrospective - Mira Nair (India)
(CF-G) Country Focus – Georgia
(CK-2010) CANNES Kaleidoscope – 2010
(I-VBI) Inspirations – Visions Behind Images
12.00 P.M.
3.00 P.M.
HEART BEATS
(KOHTAAMISIA)
JUST ANOTHER
LOVE STORY
Dir. Saara Cantell
Dir. Kaushik Ganguly
Finland/2009/81 min./Col./ 2010/India /125 min./Col./
35mm (IC)
35mm (IC)
(Rt.-JB) Retrospective - Jean Becker
(Rt.-JJK) Retrospective - Jan Jakub Kolski (Poland)
(CF-SL) Country Focus – Sri Lanka
(CIC-G) Contemporary Iranian Cinema - A Glimpse
(AIIS)Australian Indigenous Images on Screen
05.30 P.M.
8.00 P.M.
WALAPATALA
ON FOOT
(PAYE PIADEH)
Dir. Vijitha Gunaratna
Sri Lanka
2008/Col./35mm )
Dir. Fereydoun
Hasanpour
Iran/2009/87
min./Col./35mm (IC)
(Rt.-JJ) Retrospective - Jim Jarmusch (USA)
(CF-M) Country Focus – Mexico
(H-ER) Homage – Eric Rohmer
(CD)Cinema Digital
(IC) International Competition
(CW)Cinema of the World
November 29, 2010
3
IFFIDAILY
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4
IFFIDAILY
November 29, 2010
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dh vuqefr nh tkuh pkfg, A ;gh lan's k bl fQYe esa fn;k x;k gS A
;g fQYe 70 lky ls vf/kd dh piy cgknqjh ds thou dh dgkuh
ij vk/kkfjr gS A tc mUgksaus fFk;sVj esa ,d ukf;dk dh Hkwfedk fuHkkus ds
fy, çflf) çkIr dh Fkh A çkjaHk esa piy ,d efgyk gS tks /khjs&/khjs
tSfod :i ls ,d iq#"k 'kjhj ds :i esa rcnhy gks tkrk gS A vius vrhr
dh ;knksa dks cpkus ds fy, tc rd vfHk:i lsu tks ,d leySafxd fQYe
fuekZrk gS] tks mls o`Rrfp= ds fy, vius osnukiw.kZ dgkuh ds lkjs jkt
[kksyus ds cnys ,d cM+h jkf'k dk ykyp nsrk gS ls ugha feyrk rc rd
,d ifjR;Dr thou fcrkrk gS A
pfj=ksa ds thou esa ehfM;k Øks/k] Hk;] HkkoukRed }Un vkSj vkd"kZ.k
vkfn ?kfVr gksrs gSa] tc rd fd os vius tSlh tfVyrkvksa] foHkkftr
oQknkfj;ksa vkSj ,d çseh ihM+r oS/k iRuh ds lkFk leku HkXfuor ca/ku dk
lkeuk ugha djrs A lekt esa gkf'k;s ij j[ks x, vkSj vko';d ,dkdh
thou fcrkus ds fy, etcwj fd, tkus ij ?kVuko'k vfHk:i viuh cukoVh
vktknh ds fy, vkokt mBkrk gS A ;g lkekftd O;oLFkk ds fo#)
leySafxdksa ds la?k"kZ dks Loh—fr ds fy, ,d ç;kl gS A
fQYe ds ik=ksa esa 'kkfey gSa : piy Hkknqjh] fjrqi.kksaZ ?kks"k] bUæuhy
lsuxqIrk] ftLlw lsuxqIrk] pjuh xkaxqyh vkSj jkbek lsu A ;g fQYe dkSf'kd
xkaxqyh }kjk funsZf'kr gS vkSj fjrq i.kksZ ?kks"k fQYe ds fuekZ.k funsZ'kd vkSj
çksMD'ku fMtkbuj gSa A ;g fQYe caxyk Hkk"kk esa bl o"kZ ds fØlel ij
çnf'kZr dh tk,xhA¼ihvkbZch½
ekaMoh ij fc[kjs gSa
fQYeksRlo ds vusd jax
uezrk ‘kqDyk
xksok vius vkfFkR; ds fy, e’kgwj gSA 41 oas fQYeksRlo esa xksok us vius esgekuksa ds fy, igys ls dgha
vf/kd jax fc[ksjs gSaA ekaMoh unh ds fdukjs fdukjs
ekuks iwjs xksok dh laLd`fr vius esgekuksa ds Lokxr esa
[kM+h gks xbZ gSA
nqfu;kHkj vkSj HkkjrHkj dh fQYeksa ds esys dk yqRQ
mBkus vk, izfrfuf/k;ksa fQYe txr dh gfLr;ksa vkSj
vke n’kZdksa dks vkbukWDl ls ysdj dyk vdkneh ds
chp ds jkLrs esa ;g lkaLd`frd >kadh cjcl yksd
ysrh gSA xksy xIiksa ds LVkWy] ekaMoh esa rSjrs dSfluks
ls mBrs laxhr vkSj jks’kuh dh txex ls fQYeksRlo
dk jax fu[kj x;k gSA
xksok viuk lkroka fQYeksRlo vk;ksftr dj jgk
gS tks vius ‘kckc dh vksj c<+ pyk gS vkSj gj lky
estckuh ds Lrj ij fu[kkj ns[kus dks fey jgk gSA
dHkh cksf>y rks dHkh gkL; Hkjh rks dHkh vka[kksa dk
xexhu djus okyh fQYeksa dks ns[kdj yksx lM+d ij
dne j[krs gSa rks xksok ds ikjaifjd laxhr ds Loj]
if’peh ikWi] ckthxjksa ds [ksy vkSj Lusge;h tksM+ksa dh
pgydneh nwljk gh vuqHko nsrh gSA bl lcls xksok
vkSj fQYe izsfe;ksa dks fj’rk vkSj Hkh etcwr gqvk gSA
;g ekgkSy dyk laxhr vkSj laLd`fr ds iwjs ifjos’k esa
jpkclk yxrk gSA ,d flusek ls nwljs flusek gky
dh vksj Hkkx jgs yksxksa dks ;g ifjos’k ekufld lqdwu
nsrk eglwl gksrk gSA
,slk ugha FkkA cykRdkjh dksbZ vkSj gh Fks ftUgsa mlds
firk us ,d ,d djds igys gh [kRe dj fn;k FkkA
;g lPpkbZ mtkxj gksus ij ,fy;kuk dk ekufld
larqyu pyk tkrk gS vkSj og viuh ukS lky dh mez
esa ykSV tkrh gSA ysfdu fiu iksu dks ;g lc irk
ugha pykA ,fy;kuk ds IykWV ds eqrkfcd tc mls
mu rhu cykRdkfj;ksa ds ckjs esa irk pyrk gS rks og
mUgsa ,d ,d dj xksyh ls mM+k nsrk gSA
fQYe iwjh gksus ds ckn tc T;ka csdj inZs ds lkeus
lk{kkr izdV gq, rks [kpk[kp Hkjs lHkkxkj us rkfy;ksa
ls mudk Lokxr fd;kA csdj us dgk&dksbZ loky
gS\ mUgksaus nksgjk;k&fdlh dks dksbZ loky iwNuk gS\
tokc esa fQj ls dyk vdkneh dk lHkkxkj rkfy;ksa
ls xwat mBkA ;s rkfy;ka dg jgh Fkha fd mudh fQYe
lc dqN dg pqdh gSA
Jhyadk
ysdj
vk;k 9
fQYesa
fQYeksRlo ds nkSjku dUVªh Qksdl [kaM esa t‚ftZ;k] eSZfDldks vkSj rkboku ds lkFk
Jhyadk Hkh 'kkfey gSA
o"kZ 2000 ls 2010 rd dh iqjLdkj fotsrk JhyadkbZ fQYesa bl mRlo dk fo’ks”k
rksgQk gSaA bl iSdst esa fn[kkbZ tkus okyh 9 fQYesa gSa—ljkstk ¼eh ekxs laMkbZ]
vXfunkgk;k] lqMq dkywokjk] feYys lks;k] bjk efn;kek] mMqxu ;ke;k] vxUrqdk;k vkSj
okykirkykA
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fp=.k ¼vXfunkgk;k½ vkSj vaxzstksa }kjk bl }hi ij vkf/kiR; ds nkSjku dh dgkuh
¼lqMq dkywokjk½ fQYe esa 'kkfey fd, x, fo"k; gSaA bl iSdst esa flfoy okj ls yxHkx
20 o"kZ rd ihfM+r vkSj vkUnksfyr lekt dk fp=.k djus okyh bjk efn;kek vkSj mMqxu
;kek;k tSlh fQYesa 'kkfey gSaA
5
Project Sangam: ‘Blend of Flamenco
dance and a fictional love triangle’
IFFIDAILY
November 29, 2010
gautam valluri
A
Festival Director SM Khan welcoming Freida Pinto
on Sunday.
FIRST-eveR Indo-Spanish co-production project, tentatively titled ‘Sangam’,
was announced by the film director Jaime
Chavarri, its associate producer Guillermo Rodriguez and producer Beatriz De La Gandara at
IFFI-2010 recently.
The film, apart from depicting the Indian
dance and Flamenco dance, will also have a fictional love story of Flamenco dancer vicente escudero and Indian dancer Uday Shankar with a
girl called Kala. “Our film ‘Sangam’ will also
have a little fictional angle to it when vincente escudero who had visited Rajasthan to go deeper
into the roots of Flamenco dance which he believed originated India. In fact, his research
proved that it originated in Rajasthan. At that point
of time he had come across a gypsy girl named
Kala and fallen in love with her. Ironically, even
Uday Shankar had come across Kala and he too
had fallen in love with her. So in a way apart from
depicting the Indian dance form and the Flamenco
dance, I will also play around with this fictional
triangular love story between vincente, Kala &
Uday Shankar. Right now, I am holed up in
Cidade De Goa with my Indian writer Shama
Zaidi working on the script of ‘Sangam’ and then
we will plan the shooting schedule in Rajasthan,”
said Chavarri, who presented his film ‘Camaron’
in the ongoing IFFI-2010.
Rodriguez, also the ambassador of Casa De
La India (The India House), said their ‘Project
Sangam’ will be unique in the sense that it will
depict the art of Flamenco dance based on truly
and thoroughly researched historical facts. Besides, it will bring together two global icons
namely Uday Shankar and Ravi Shankar (who
‘ I would like to clarify right now
is that there would be obvious
comparisons between Raj
Kapoor’s ‘Sangam ‘of 1960 and
our ‘Sangam’ which is still in the
planning stages and will be released probably in 2012’
represent the Indian dance forms including
Kathak and the Indian music respectively) and
vicente escudero, who represented the Flamenco dance form in the early 1930’s.
He was well known as the most Bohemian
dancer. It was he who had introduced the Flamenco Dance form in the mainstream arena. “The
film will also depict their friendship, relationship,
Actor Rahul Khanna, who stars in Indian Pamorama
film ‘Wake Up Sid’, poses on the Red Carpet.
I am Eklavya, but
here to compete
with Arjunas:
Suneet Arora
Dancing Feet concludes
Internationally acclaimed Kuchipudi dance couple,
Raja & Radha Reddy performed an impromptu but
scintillating item at the final session of “Dancing
Feet” at Kala Academy on Saturday. Renowned
Kathak Guru Pandit Birju Maharaj too did a tukra.
Illustrious Odissi dancer Dr. Sonal Mansingh, the
could not dance but showed her prowess, even
while sitting in a chair and talking to the audience.
The cultural extravaganza which began on November 24, showcased 22 documentaries and biopics
on Indian classical dancers and its eminent teachers. The gurus also shared what was passionate and
close to their hearts — their up-bringing, Gurukal
education, arduous training and accomplishments,
at length. The event concluded on a popular note,
prompting the Goa CM and delegates to ask the
Films Division to come up with yet another interesting package in the next edition of IFFI.
Taiwanese director Lee Kang, brother of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, at the inauguration of
Taiwanese New Wave Cinema section if IFFI-2010 on Sunday.
gautam valluri
You can easily spot a VK Murthy shot among others
THe hallmark of any great artist
is that his work comes with a distinctly identifiable stamp, a signature style. No wonder you can
spot a v K Murthy shot in any
gallery of diverse images. Be it
the Christ like framing of the
poet vijay in Guru Dutt’s
‘Pyaasa’ (1957), the soft-focus
close ups of Waheeda Rehman in
‘CID’ (1956) or that shaft of light
entering the studio floor in the
song Waqt ne
kiya kya haseen
sitam
in
‘Kaagaz
Ke
Phool’ (1959) Murthy crafted
the
most
breathtaking,
iconic imagery
MASTERSTROKE: V K. MURTHY
His film ‘Pyaasa’ on at 3.30 p.m.
today at Inox Screen II
in Indian cinema.
These
sequences were
beautiful, artistic
compositions in
their own right
but
signified
something
deeper. They
were the carri-
ers of the profound themes of the
films, brought out the emotional
intensity of the stories and the
complexities of the characters and
the situations they were caught in.
It was Murthy’s camera work that
gave these films that special edge.
Eminent filmmaker M S
Sathyu will introduce VK Murthy
at a function before the screening of his films today.
The man who helped Guru Dutt find Waheeda Rehman
IFFI-2010 is paying tribute to Abrar
Alvi, the dialogue and screenplay
writer of many of Guru Dutt’s classic films like ‘Pyaasa’ and ‘Kaagaz
Ke Phool’. Writer Sathya Saran,
who has written a biography on him
called ‘Ten Years with Guru Dutt:
Abrar Alvi's Journey’, remembers
the man who directed ‘Sahib, Biwi
and Ghulam’ for Guru Dutt Films.
History will not forget Abrar Alvi.
Though the industry forgot him.
When he died on November 19
last year, the man who had been
partner, friend, confidant of legendary filmmaker Guru Dutt and
had a major role in the creation of
his classic films, lived a reclusive
life in is flat in Oshiwara.
Luckily for the fans of cinema,
he shared his memories on filmmaking and his 10 wonderfully creative
times during 50s and 60s spent with
Guru Dutt Films, in a book. The
book was a revelation of the life and
times of a man, who not just helped
find Waheeda Rehman, the star, but
journey on tour to the US and in Rajasthan and
how they were influenced by each other. One more
thing that I would like to clarify right now is that
there would be obvious comparisons between Raj
Kapoor’s ‘Sangam ‘of 1960 and our ‘Sangam’
which is still in the planning stages and will be released probably in 2012. As our ‘Sangam’ means
the confluence of Indian and Flamenco dance in
tandem with the cultures of the two countries
namely India and Spain we had no choice but to
retain this title and if any copyright issue arises
with R K Films we will resolve the matter by reframing the title as, albeit with an added tagline,
“Sangam – The Dance Rajas” as both Uday
Shankar and vicente escudero are the global
dance kings in their own right,” Rodriguez said.
Gandara, a film producer from Spain who has
produced 20 films till this date, said: “The complete formalities of forming an Indo–Spain co-production treaty are complete which stated that any
filmmaker who wants to make a film in India as a
co-production should have a Spanish nationality.
And at least one artiste should be a Spanish actor
or actress. Not only this, it should also be shot
partly in Spain. And this co-production treaty will
be totally complete if the project in hand gets the
support and subsidy from Spanish Government.”
— SHAHEEN RAAJ
changed the face of
been a director of
filmmaking in sigplays in college,
nificant ways.
and had a MasAbrar Alvi ran
ters degree to his
away to Bombay to
credit,
helped
escape studying law.
Abrar to become
His father, a strict ponot just a writer,
lice officer was a disbut an assistant to
ciplinarian at home
Dutt. His job
too, and the young
then included
Abrar sneaked out
being present on
with his mother’s
the sets, and reblessings and 12
hearsing his acannas in his pocket,
tors, and helping
TRIBUTE: ABRAR ALVI
to catch a train to
them
deliver
Bombay and seek his fortune.
their lines as he thought best.
Fortune came by the way of an inOver the years, Abrar and Dutt
troduction to Dutt, who was the hero forged a bond of deep friendship, that
of a film in which Abrar’s cousin was spilled over into sharing not just techacting. A dialogue between Raj nical and film related knowledge but
Khosla, who was helping in writing also their personal problems and crises.
for the film, and Abrar who was tu- The multilayered story of ‘Pyaasa’,
toring him off hand on the best way was one of the major outcomes of the
to write a line of dialogue, was over- association: the character of Gulabo
heard by Dutt. And that was the start was based on the real life sex-worker
whom Abrar had befriended and who
of a career in films for Abrar.
The fact that he had a keen ear had died of tuberculosis.
As the years passed, and Abrar
for nuances and languages, had
worked closely with Dutt and his
other colleagues, the director’s faith
in his assistant’s abilities was cemented. even as Dutt tried to recover from the crisis that the failure
of ‘Kagaaz Ke Phool’, he placed on
his writer’s shoulders the director’s
mantle for the next film: ‘Sahib,
Biwi aur Ghulam’.
The film is not only one of the
best known films from the Guru
Dutt Films’s banner, winning as it
did the President’s Gold Medal and
entry to the Berlin Film festival, it
also proved the true depth of the relationship between Abrar and his
actor/director/producer friend.
When Dutt committed suicide
giving in to the depression that often
afflicted him, it was almost the end
for Alvi’s career too. Though he ghost
directed and salvaged ‘Baharein Phir
Bhi Aayengi’, Abrar was never able
to rise to the heights of writing or direction that he had discovered with
Dutt. In other words, with Dutt’s premature death, the film industry lost
not one but two great talents!
THe latest entrant into the film world is a highly
qualified MBA with an engineering degree, who had
his own hardware-software business in one of the
Information Technology hubs of India, Bengaluru.
Though you may be tempted to call him the Nagesh
Kukunoor (‘Hyderabad Blues’) of the new decade,
but Suneet Arora, director of ‘Chitkabrey-Shades of
Grey’ which was screened recently at Film Bazaar,
is confident of going several miles ahead.
After the screening of his film, Suneet said, “I
always wanted to direct a film and while studying
engineering, I decided to fulfill my dream. During
my college days, I read and discussed about movie
making all the time. As my first preference was to
complete formal education, I had no choice but to
be ‘eklavaya’. But I am not here to cut my thumb
like eklavaya… I want to compete with present
Arjuns and present the movie the way I see it. I
scrutinised the market convinced my family and
then pursued a dream.”
Suneet had to get together an ensemble cast for
Suneet Arora
with Ravi
Kissen
the film. He got Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kissen to
plays the male protagonist in the first time, while
other cast includes Rajesh Shringarpure, Jaspinder
Gardner and Amit Bhardwaj among others.
‘Chitkabrey’ made on a budget of around a
crore and a half and shot on 16 mm, is all about
the intricacies of relationships in a world that is
becoming smaller and smaller due to the fastpaced digital and technological revolution, he said.
Given his background and study, perhaps he
could understand the realms of relationships visà-vis technological progress better.
The film traverses different geographies and
encapsulates his experience as he travelled from a
small-town called Abohar (Punjab) to Bengaluru
to study engineering and then came to Mumbai to
do pursue MBA. Subsequently, globe-trotter
Suneet proceeded to the Silicon valley in California and Canada and several parts of the world.
“The complexities of relationships always intrigued me. I have always been an avid learner and
observer. Relationships fascinated me even when I
started working in corporate houses and then ventured into my own business of computer hardware
and later software. During my globe-trotting days
too, I was always curious about the extreme variation
in the relationships across the globe. ‘Rewind’ is an
ode to the experiences that I had while interacting
with people across the globe. It’s about all aspects of
life that I have seen and encountered,” he said.
— JyotHi VENkAtESH
6
IFFIDAILY
WIDE RANGE OF MUST-SEE FILMS IN FILM FESTIvAL’S 2ND HALF
November 29, 2010
t
HE second half of iFFi-2010 has a striking
assortment of must-see films for the
cinephiles.
the festival this year has a pretty unbeatable
range of old films under Retrospectives and new
contemporary fare as well, not to mention the
unique new sections of documentary and promising set of short films from the three top film-institutes of the country.
Jan Jacub Kolski from Poland has been the rare
discovery of this festival, who has made only 13
films, eight of which were screened at this festival.
those who missed this stunning package, have
definitely missed a huge ‘plus’ of the festival.
the other brilliant ‘masters’ featuring in this festival, whose movies still figure in the second half
of the festival, are – Eric Rohmer from France, Jim
Jarmusch from the US, Michael Cacoyannis from
Greece, and of course our very own Mira Nair.
Besides, there’s a charismatic range of ‘Country-Focus’ movies, from varied nations like Mexico, Georgia, Sri lanka and taiwan.
Seker
A Time to love and a Time to Die
taiwanese films have been creating waves at
the top festivals of the world, and the iFFi package
includes classics from their legendary directors like
Edward Yang (‘taipei Story’), Hou Hsia-Hsien
(‘a time to love and a time to Die’), ‘Eat Drink
Man Woman’ by Hollywood-favourite ang lee,
and new-wave festival-favourites like Hou Chi-Jan
(‘one Day’) and tsai Ming liang (‘Viva l
amour’). a large film-delegation from taiwan is
presently at iFFi, to celebrate this exciting package.
one of the main highlights of iFFi this year, is
the specially curated section of films from this
year’s Cannes Film Festival. as Shankar Mohan,
Joint Director of Directorate of Film Festivals, had
said at the mid-festival Press Conference on Saturday: “Since everyone can’t go to Cannes, we de-
cided to bring Cannes to you!”
the Cannes package, most of which features
in the Competition Section, offers a daring range
of styles and subjects. the Palm d’or winner from
thailand, ‘Uncle Boonmee Who can Recollect his
Past lives’, by the country’s best-known indie director apichatpong Weerasethakul, is audaciously
experimental. then, there’s the surrealistic, blackand-white american film ‘Shit Year’ by Cam
archer, famed Japanese director takeshi Kitano’s
blood-drenched ‘outrage’, French master Jeanluc Godard’s latest ‘Film Socialism’ (be warned
there are No English sub-titles), iranian master
abbas Kiarostomi’s first European film with the
matchless French actress Juliet Binoche that won
her the Best actress award at Cannes, ‘Certified
Copy’, Britain’s best-known contemporary director Ken loach’s ‘Route irish’, as also the unique
film from little-known Chad that won a top award
‘a Screaming Man’, and last but not the least the
moving Closing Film ‘the tree’ from australia.
other much-awarded and must-see films, are
‘Cow’ from China (Golden Horse Festival, taiwan),
‘Curling’ from Canada (locarno Festival), ‘the
Extra Man’ from the US (Sundance festival), ‘little
Rose’ from Poland and ‘Seker’ from Kazakisthan.
as for indian films, well-known director Rituparna Ghosh’s debut acting role as a gay, in elegant drag-clothes, in ‘Just another love Story’,
which has won accolades at many international
festivals, is a very significant film for indian cinema, as it’s probably the first in-depth ‘gay’ story
made on the celluloid, and has a stunning performance by the famed director. it has a second screening this week - a riveting, must-see movie.
Certainly, a feast of movies awaits the
cineastes, this week at iFFi. Gorge on them!
— LEKHA J. SHANKAR
Film Socialism
‘Post-1989, Polish cinema is taking Sensitivity beyond self
to Hollywood style of filmmaking’
PRoFESSoR Piotr Klodowski, ambassador of Poland in india, today said the language of cinema is the most universal
language for communication and he would
therefore like greater cooperation between
his country and india.
Klodowski, who speaks fluent Hindi,
said the recent visit of the Polish Minister
for Cultural and National Heritage to india
had also strengthened this view.
He also promised to examine offers from
film societies or filmmakers for indo-Polish
collaboration in this field. there were plans
to collaborate with film schools, he said.
addressing the open Forum on Polish
cinema with particular reference to the retrospective of the films of Jan Jacub Kolski
at the ongoing iFFi, he said cinema had undergone a major change in his country since
1989. While there was greater freedom,
there were commercial pressures since the
industry was earlier supported by the state.
this had its positive and negative aspects.
Films made before 1989 had restrictions but
were generally good.
Kolsky said it was unfortunate that modern Polish cinema was turning to Hollywood
for ideas, and therefore he avoided seeing
films by other Polish filmmakers. However,
he said Dorotha Kedzierzawska - who was
also present – was an exception since she
also stuck to her own style.
He said he wanted to keep his own perspective and therefore stuck to his own style.
He agreed to the presence of a strong
Catholic influence in his films, but said he
used this to expose the shallowness of
Catholicism and use this to comment upon
love, life and the world.
asked if he had seen any indian films,
he said he preferred to watch the people.
He felt it was too strong to say cinema in
his country had degenerated but it had polarised and privatised.
He said eight of his 13 films were being
shown and it was a mere coincidence that
these eight were based in the countryside,
since he had also made films in the city.
Referring to his latest film ‘Venice’ shown
here, he said it was based on the alter ego of
the author who wrote the short story it was
based on. it is about the oppression all around
us with no place of escape. His central character therefore tends to withdraw into himself.
He said he was known for using stories
that were ‘unadaptable’ to the large screen.
Dorotha said she liked the way indians
loved cinema. She said she agreed that Polish cinema was turning to Hollywood. the
present Polish cinema was going in two directions: the commercial and the art. She
preferred not to talk too much about her
films, particularly after they had been made.
Kolsky’s cinematographer arthur Reinhard said he had been talking to some indians about making a film in india. asked
about his visuals, he said every film was a
new challenge in itself.
— B B NAgpAL
Just Another Love Story is not a Gay film: Biswas
NatioNal award-winning director Rituparno Ghosh makes his debut as an actor in
Just Another Love Story (JALS), a subtle
story highlighting the complexities of life of
homosexuals and stigma faced by them.
the film, screened as part of the indian
Panorama, is one of the three indian Films
that have made it to the Competition Section
at iFFi this year. the film, in English, is a
much travelled and appreciated film at the
Festival circuit having won the Best Film
award at the New York Film Festival. Wellknown producer tapan Biswas, who has to
his credit 27 films, said at a press conference
here on Sunday that he doesn’t want the film
to be labeled as a ‘Gay film’, “as it is a
human story and could be watched with the
family”. the film subtly addresses the issue
and conveys the message that a person
should be allowed to live the way he wants,”
the producer of the film said.
Just Another Love Story
the film is directed by Kaushik Ganguly
and has Rituparno Ghosh donning the hats
of Creative Director and Production Designer of the film.
the film is a story based on the life of 70
plus Chapal Bhaduri, once famous for the
feminine lead roles he played in theatre.
Chapal is essentially a woman, biologically
trapped in a man’s body. He lives a forsaken
life, surviving on memories of his past until
he meets abhiroop Sen, an openly gay filmmaker who lures him with big money to reveal his tragic story in every detail for a
documentary.
Media wrath, homophobia, emotional
conflicts and attractions ensue in the lives of
the characters, while they come across their
similar complexities, divided loyalties and
similar bonds of sisterhood with a lover’s
suffering ‘legitimate’ wife. Eventually forcing abhiroop to question his fake liberation,
and face his essential solitude as a marginal
being in society. it is an effort to expand acceptance of the timeless struggle of homosexuals against social discrimination.
the main cast of the film include Chapal
Bhaduri, Rituparno Ghosh, indraneil Sengupta, Jisshu Sengupta, Churni Ganguly and
Raima Sen. the film‘s Bengali version will
be released on Christmas this year.
Edited by: Shambhu Sahu on behalf of Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, New Delhi
Hindi Editor: Mukesh Kaushik
printed at: Herald Publication Pvt. Ltd. Verna, Goa
DESPitE FilM one hiccup after another at the Short Center, quite
a few delegates have managed to retain their enthusiasm; be it for
watching films or participating in discussion sessions. While the
near houseful scenario of previous years is still to be emulated, the
quality of discussions has always been enlightening. the indifferent
attendance could be attributed more to a lack of proper communication on the part of organisers and media support than any unwillingness or lassitude on part of the delegates.
Sensitivity beyond self was, perhaps, the common thread that
linked the films of the directors we met yesterday.
the enthusiasm of a young journalist. the economic compulsions of her young assistant and we begin to ask questions about the
ethics of exploiting tragedy in the name of journalism. Where does
one draw the line is the probable question anupam Barve seems to
ask in his film ‘Fresh Suicide’ .
Gautam Saikia goes to shoot a film as part of an assignment. a
chance peep into a tree hollow gets him to see a python with 87
young. after having pulled out his camera and shot it, he began
thinking of the next course of action. a distressing dilemma arises.
leave them be as is mandated by law because the python is a protected species and in natural course about one or
two may survive; or relocate them in different
places and increase
Docs & shorts
the odds of their
by ramesh tekwani
survival manifold.
He decides to persuade the powers and get the necessary permission to relocate the baby pythons. and he
succeeds. and over the next five months that he is there for his primary assignment he shoots another film side by side – ‘Unseen
Beauty, Unhidden truth’ – thus giving new meaning to the Hindi
saying “Ek panth do kaaj”.
Sometimes what appears to be isn’t quite it and sometimes what
doesn’t appear to be is really it. What is really it or not? We can see
the film entitled ‘Swindled’ by Ridhesh Sejpal and decide for ourselves. the film is based on a short story by H. H. Munro ‘Saki’ .
a chance reading of a newspaper report about a bombing of
civilian children in a dancing class becomes the inspiration for
a film ‘Dancing in Fumes’ by Noor arnaoot . Here, she tries to
portray the futility of war through the common sorrow of
known enemies.
Documentaries don’t need additional styling but fiction, short
fictions and features do. Sharada Ramanathan tells us tale of Devdasis, one in particular. Here, ground level camera movement adds
to the visual lyrics of the film as does the choreography set to subtle
compositions that have a definite presence.
a fitting climax to an already fulfilling day. Fresh from a
packed house for his Masterclass, V. Mohan Srinivas came to the
cosy audi2 at the Maquinez Palace Complex for an encore. Some
had seen the movie, others had heard about it and Srini now let us
all into a few secrets. the Visuals Effects of “Endhiran – the
Robot”. His was not just a show and tell; but also, a listen and
learn, too. the music and effects, both stylised and real, took the
movie to an entirely new level, new dimension altogether. Stressing on the need for intensive preplanning, Srinivas explained that
entire sequences were storyboarded complete with 3D graphics,
actual sound and music in order to eliminate the possibility of mistakes, even by chance.
The writer is a director and producer of short films and has
been moderating discussion sessions at the Short Film Center