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2013 NY Indian Film Festival from April 30- May 4th
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Monthly Archives: March 2013
Director’s Bio: At the forefront of Indian theatre today, Feroz Abbas Khan is recognized as much for exploring new forms, as for bringing Hindi theatre, mainstream recognition. In a career spanning more than two decades, he has directed some of India’s finest acting talent, both from stage and cinema. In line with a belief, that any pursuit of excellence, must go parallel to continued relevant social contribution; Feroz Abbas Khan’s theatre company has been silently but significantly associated with various committed social organizations; supporting and helping them raise funds and awareness. As the first Festival Director of the prestigious Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, the throbbing hub of the young, the talented and the restless; Feroz, along with the late Jennifer Kapoor spearheaded the International Prithvi Theatre Festival.
Director’s Bio: Nikhil Mahajan is a graduate in film direction from The International Film School Sydney, Australia, and comes from an academically inclined Middle class family. Growing up on Bollywood cinema, making films was possibly the only thing that Nikhil could imagine himself doing. Pune 52 is Nikhil’s first film.
Director’s Bio: Mirra Bank directs film and theater. Her previous feature documentary, “Last Dance”, was short-listed for an Academy Award. Her innovative nonfiction feature, “Nobody’s Girls”, was a PBS primetime special; and her groundbreaking indie feature enormous changes premiered at Sundance, followed by a critically praised theatrical release. Bank has been honored with awards and production support from, among others: Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, NY State Council on the Arts, NY Foundation for the Arts, American Film Institute. Her films have premiered at festivals worldwide, including Edinburgh, NY Film Festival, Chicago, Seattle, Hawaii, AFI, Silverdocs, Final Frame, London, and Palm Springs.
Director’s Bio: Ajay Bahl grew up in the city of Delhi and was a state level cricketer in his teen years, disillusioned by the corruption in sport he meandered into many different vocations before chancing upon a book on filmmaking at a friend’s house. He is a high school drop-out and a self-taught filmmaker, he began his career in the advertising industry in the year 2005, always more interested in narrative fiction he started his film production company Tonga Talkies in the year 2010 and after reading Mohan Sikka’s short story titled “The Railway Aunty” in the anthology “Delhi Noir”- HarperCollins 2010, Ajay acquired rights to make it into a feature which is now titled “B.A Pass”. It is his first narrative feature.
Director’s Bio: Born and brought up in Delhi, India, Geetika Narang Abbasi pursued advertising after completing her graduation in English Literature from Delhi University. Soon, her love for films led her to the field of filmmaking. Having worked on various genres of filmmaking, from documentaries to TV commercials, she ventured into independent filmmaking with her first short fiction, the multiple award-winning Good Night (2008). Subsequently, she has edited and directed several documentaries that have been recognized and showcased nationally as well as internationally. Her next venture is a film about cross-border marriages between Indians and Pakistanis.
Anandana Kapur is an independent filmmaker and social scientist based out of New Delhi, India. She has previously worked in broadcast television and is a published author on Media, Art and Gender. As part of a cultural diversity initiative she holds lectures on Cinema and Culture for exchange students from US, Canada and Europe. Anandana is also a wiki-educator and her latest works include a group exhibition on Re-envisioning in Nicosia, Cyprus and the critically acclaimed and award-winning documentary The Great Indian Jugaad (2009). Anandana likes to travel, photograph and collect folklore. She is currently working on a film on grass roots innovation in India.
Director’s Bio: Hansal made his debut with Jayate (Victory, 1998), a languid tale on the Indian judiciary, medical malpractice and ordinary human lives in the city of Bombay. This was followed by the dark, tragic and funny DilPe Mat Le Yaar (Don’t Take It To Heart, 2000), a film that reflected Hansal’s concern for the increasingly marginalized immigrants in the city of Bombay. This film (and Hansal) ran into trouble with intolerant political parties in Bombay because of an innocuous section of dialog. Shahid (2012) is the result of this soul-searching mission and a return to roots for Hansal. Shahid is a deeply personal story that reflects Hansal’s anger and concern towards religious/class based/racial intolerance around the world.
Director’s Bio: Manav Kaul started his theatre career in Bhopal in the year 1994. He came to Mumbai in the year 2002 & along with a few friends formed “ARANYA Theatre Group” in 2004. The promise he showed as a young playwright with his first play ‘ShakkarKePaanchDaane’ in 2004 wasn’t misplaced.Manav is 37 years old & has written & directed 10 critically acclaimed plays in the last 8 years. His plays have been invited to most of the prestigious festivals in India & have been translated into English, Marathi & Bengali. Four of his plays have won awards at META (Mahindra excellence in theatre awards).
Director’s Bio: Amit directed Resistance starring Andrea Riseborough and Michael Sheen it was his debut feature film. Sharon Morgan won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Actress and Amit has been nominated for the Best First Film award by the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain. Amit’s last play, Campaign, was part of the epic Great Game at the Tricycle Theatre and was nominated for a 2010 Olivier Award. After the acclaimed run in London, The Great Game toured some of the most prestigious theatres in the US including: The Shakespeare in Washington, The Guthrie in Minneapolis, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The Public in New York. In February 2010 the play was performed for The Pentagon.
Director’s Bio: Ratnakar Ramkrushna Matkari is a Marathi writer, a movie and play producer/director, and a self-taught artist from Maharashtra, India.
Director’s Bio: Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam have been making films on Tibetan subjects for more than 20 years. Through their work they have attempted to document, question, and reflect on, the issues of exile, cultural identity and political aspiration that confront the Tibetan diaspora.Working through their film company, White Crane Films, they have produced and directed several documentaries, including: The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche (1991); The Trials of Telo Rinpoche (1993); A Stranger in My Native Land (1997); and The Shadow Circus: The CIA in Tibet (1998). In 2005, they completed a dramatic feature film, Dreaming Lhasa, executive produced by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Gere.
Director’s Bio: Avinash started in Television in 1998, as a researcher. Albeit a very keen researcher! With a natural flair for writing, it led to many opportunities behind the camera(s) and then in front of the same. Being an anchor on channels such as the BBC and Star, whet his appetite, but also showed Avinash where his heart truly lay.Having seen both sides of the coin, Avinash then began to write and direct. Setting up a production house with his wife, along with a small but extremely talented group of individuals, Turtle on a Hammock Films grew in stature and capabilities with the work that came out of their stables, across channels such as Discovery and numerous other clients. Avinash’s directorial debut, a fantastic drama, set in urban Delhi with a stellar cast is now released theatrically across India, to great critical and public acclaim.
Director’s Bio: Born in Mumbai to a photographer father in 1975, NitinKakkar grew up on a staple diet of Bollywood. After gaining experience as an assistant director for Hindi movies, NitinKakkar made his directorial debut with the award-winning short film BLACK FREEDOM (2004). Since then, he has worked on a number of television projects including. ‘FILMISTAAN’ is his debut Feature film. It received a Special Jury Mention during its World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and embarking on its international tour, the film won him Best Debut Director at the International Film Festival of Kerala and Jaipur International Film Festival.Sanjay Dutt: victim of circumstances or rightfully accused?
Sanjay Dutt.
I must say I was shocked to hear the verdict. I didn’t know all the circumstances but I was of course well aware that Sanjay Dutt had allegedly connections to the underworld in the past and got in trouble for it. What I don’t understand is why he is being sentenced again now? I like this Munnabhai. He is an indispensable villain in Bollywood productions. And whatsmore, he’s a method actor.. :-)
If you are start making a name for yourself as a young actor in Bollywood, especially at the time when all kind of dubious monies were the financial backbone of the industry, I can imagine all this laundered dough came with a price tag. You were probably invited to parties where you met all kind of people and shady figures who were well connected.
And we know how any self respecting type of mafia does it. They start doing you favors, just that. They shower you with offers and it all looks playful and harmless. And then a year, two, three later all for sudden Mr Benefactor asks you for a favor – which – unless you got a good excuse – you can’t refuse. I don’t know if that’s what went down only Sanjay knows. I am sure he just wanted to be a movie star. And he felt young, strong, testosterone laden and invincible and probably thought there was nothing in his life he couldn’t control. But I am speculating here and trying to make sense of this whole situation from the bits and pieces I pick up here and there. Was he offered to buy the gun? did he reach out and say I need a gun? Was he tricked into keeping it. A hot gun like that, who would suspect a celebrity. Were there other things involved we don’t know about…But I am pretty sure that if he had known the history of that gun we would have never acquired it.
That this old wound was reopened must be hurting Dutt a lot. Without knowing all the specifics I still manage to feel bad for him. Sanjay said he got the incriminating gun for self-defense purposes. I understand the latter part, as a celebrity you want to feel protected. But an Ak56 assault rifle? i say a neat little pistol will do for self-defense. and then buy a rifle from a malavita? a gangster? wouldn’t you go and get a registered gun? The lack of good judgement and common sense is pretty obvious but
I always feel somewhat embittered when celebrities get in trouble and don’t face consequences and I am not alone. The justice system turns to rubber in front of VIPs. And then a movie comes out like JollyLLB reinforcing the loss of trust in the justice system.
Of course it helps to get some token heads rolling, or maybe it’s unrelated. but I must say it crossed my mind. I mean, 20 years later they come up with that? Wasn’t the incident in 1993? He served 18 months already.
Jail is a horrible place but I am sure he will be a hero there. They will all love him but it will require adjustments. From the limelight, life in the fast lane, confined to a cell. I feel for Sanjay Dutt. He slipped into this calamity by frequenting the wrong people. Somehow I think there won’t be a pardon but maybe they will release him early for good behavior.
This time it won’t be a movie set, where you take off your make-up and go home for our Sanjay. His family, his friends, his colleagues must be heartbroken. He didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t use the gun, somebody else did. He is no terrorist.Somehow the sentence seems to be too harsh. I am rooting for Sanjay Dutt. But I also find it important that the law is upheld. It says a lot about him that he is not asking for Pardon. But I hope that Pardon will find him.
Sanjay Dutt breaks down, says won’t apply for pardon – ndtv article
Earth Hour Today
Best Indian commercials
I love Indian commercials :-) Well, some are unimaginative too but others are really funny. Like these ones from State Farm.
This is one of my favorite Srk ads (for Pepsi). who can forget it…
or this with Uncle Shahrukh and Uncle John
ad for a permanent marker: (Camlin)
or these Fevikol glue commercials are cute
with Katrina Kaif:
and
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do you have any others you can share with me?
Satyagraha and Prakash Jha: Bollywood’s voice of conscience
For his new film Satyagraha (which means literally zeal for truth and refers to a non-violent, gandhi-esque type of resistence), Prakash Jha isn’t only constructing a whole filmi city in Bhopal, where he has rented a couple of acres for the whole duration of the shoot, he also gives extensive workshops to locals, who will be acting in his film. The use of local actors always conveys the feel of authenticity to his movies, a raw energy that permeates every facet of his films.
He has roped in some mega stars as his protagonists in Satyagraha: Amitabh Bachchan (who had starred in Jha’s Aarakshan) , Ajay Devgan (Apaharan, Rajneeti) , Kareena Kapoor, and Arjun Rampal (Rajneeti, Chakravyuh)
Zeal for truth, this could be Prakash Jha’s red thread common to all his socio-politically charged movies. Sometimes I wonder why men like him aren’t in government positions, then again, not everyone wants to swim with sharks).
Find out more about him on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prakash_Jha
Spielberg coming to India: what’s for dinner?
who can forget the immortal scene of
but didn’t Kate look lovely in that jewelry? I wonder if she got to keep it…
Ladies, eat your heart out! :-)
but with our vegetarian Amitabh Bachchan presiding during this visit of Grandmaster Spielberg, I am sure the menu looked somewhat different.
Also, the elite guests consisted this time of 60 Indian filmmakers. Talk wasn’t about lost treasures but about future possibilities of collaboration.
ndtv article:
Steven Spielberg’s India: Benaras to Mumbai, 30 years apart
ibnlive:
61 directors meet Steven Spielberg in Mumbai. Can you identify them?
Katrina Kaif sprints into action: who needs romance?
Katrina is excited about her two new action movies “Bang Bang” and “Dhoom3”
but nobody could be more excited than her fans who admired her sprinting through Ek Tha Tiger with Salman Khan. (why wasn’t that the most successful movie of all times? I LOVED IT, but then, I am a huge Katrina fan and I love her in all her movies. she just always shines so bright).
I googled and googled and googled my heart out but I couldn’t find the scene where Katrina shows off her action skills. But if you saw the movie, you know this girl can RUN! :-)
and DIVE:
check out:
Katrina Kaif excited to take up action genre
Press Trust of India | March 14, 2013 20:12 IST (Mumbai)inShare
Katrina will next be seen in action flick Dhoom 3.Katrina Kaif has usually done love stories but the actress says she is looking forward to go beyond her romantic image with action films Dhoom 3 and Bang Bang.The two films, starring Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan, involve hardcore action and Katrina herself will be seen performing some dare devil stunts.”Bang Bang is inspired by Hollywood film Knight and Day but we have re-done the story to suit Indian audience. It is an action comedy and I haven’t done anything like this in a long time.“All my previous movies have more or less been love stories. This also has a love angle but with a twist. It is a huge change and I am really excited about it,” she told PTI. Katrina is currently busy filming Aamir Khan starrer Dhoom 3 in Switzerland.
“We are still shooting… Still have a lot of work to do but it is shaping up well. It is a very glamorous and bold role at the same time. I am having a good time working with Aamir. He is a wonderful actor, extremely supportive.”
The Singh Is King star recently joined the list of actresses who have worked with the top three Khan’s (Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir) of the industry.
Though she feels lucky to have worked with the three superstars, Katrina says beyond a point name does not matter more than the work she is being offered.
“The big deal is they are legends and have been in the industry for the longest time… I am very fortunate to have got an opportunity of working will all three. It has been a learning and informative experience but beyond that I think it is not whom you work with but the kind of movies you do and what are you interests. What matters to me is the script and the director I am working with,” she said.
Coming from a non-filmy background and considering her non-fluency in Hindi, Katrina has achieved a lot by delivering hits like New York, Raajneeti, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger and Jab Tak Hai Jaan.
Besides movies, she is also a part of many endorsements. She recently shot for an all new campaign for Mango drink Slice, titled the Slice taste challenge.
Katrina returns to her seductive look in the commercial, which she feels has a very poetic feel to it.
“Slice has been one of my best associations. When they started, their ideas just clicked with me. I believe if the base of the project is strong be it movies or ads, half of the work is already done.
“Also what I like is the sensual and visually appealing look of the ad. The quality is so poetic and it has a story with a message. All of this makes the journey of being with them more special and exciting,” she added.
Commenting on the recent reports about her younger sister joining the film industry, Katrina said, “Isabelle is currently in LA completing her acting course. She is happy there and has no plans of coming to Bollywood as of now. So as and when she completes her course and if she wants to come she can come.”
and here is her juicy Slice ad:
okay, Katrina you got us to eat the pound of sugar hidden in that drink. what else?
almost as yummy is her performance in the song Sheila Ki Jawaani
oh sorry, that was her body-double
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phir milenge at Bang Bang and Dhoom 3
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Dream couple Hrithik and Katrina return with a double bang
It’s official. It’s a reunion. Bang Bang.
Hrithik returns with Katrina Kaif to the big screen after the mega-successes of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Agneepath with Bang Bang, the remake of Knight and Day (2010, with Cruise-Control and Cameron Diaz)… Outch. I was hoping for something more original…Hey Bollywood, Siddharth Anand, please! not ANOTHER REMAKE!!!
Having blurted that out, sometimes Indian remakes are extraordinarily entertaining. John Abraham and Nana Patekar’s killer chemistry and the pace of Taxi no 9211, the remake of Changing Lanes (starring Ben Affleck and Samuel Jackson) was much more edgy and interesting than the original.
Siddharth Anand has roped in Hollywood’s famous action Conrad Palmisano, who has choreographed and coordinated the beautiful stunts in Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger for his new venture. 
Siddharth is much better known in the romance department. He has directed Anjaana Anjaani (2010), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), TaRaRumPum (2007) okay, a bit of race car drivie here, and Salaam Namaste (2005). I enjoyed all these movies and I am looking forward to his debut in the category ‘action’
It has been already wildly speculated if we will see Hrithik and Katrina liplock in BangBang. Oh, Salman, relax, it’s just acting!! But I hear we’ll be disappointed in this regard. (and I can’t remember Diaz kissing CruiseControl in Knight and Day. Do you?) So we’ll have to see where Siddharth is taking us romantically. One thing is sure: Katrina and Hrithik make a filmi dream-pair! But we can’t say that too loud, Salman might hear us :-)
Come and join Holi Hai 2013 NYC
HOLI NYC 2013: Festival of Colors
Sun Mar 31 2013 at 12:00 pm
Venue : Dag Hammarskjold Plaza 47th St & 2nd Avenue New York, 10017, New York
Created By : Free New York City Concerts
Sponsored links
Our Grand Sponsor: Time Warner Cable
NYC Bhangra sincerely thanks Time Warner Cable for being our main sponsors to bring Holi Hai 2013 to New York City. Without the support of Time Warner Cable & State Bank of India, it would be impossible to keep this event FREE ADMISSION !
I Love Free Concerts has teamed up with NYC Bhangra to bring you Holi NYC 2013: Festival of Colors. The 4th annual celebration of Holi ( Holi Hai! 2013 ), a festival of colors and spring, brings dance, music and culture in the way many South Asians celebrate SPRING !
Join us on a beautiful and joyful spring day as we celebrate the beauty of life with our friends and beloved brothers and sisters around the world.
Please go here for more information: http://bit.ly/ZFiPFy
The Holi Festival takes its name from an evil witch who lived thousands of years ago. Her name was Holika. She had a boon not be burned even if she stepped into fire. She misused this benediction to burn many babies by carrying them into fires. However, when she tried to do the same to a five year old Krishna devotee named Prahlad, she got burned instead, while Prahlad emerged from the fire unharmed. Prahlad’s constant habit was to chant the names of God, Hare Krishna Hare Krshna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Thus taking shelter of the Lord through His Holy Names the Supreme protected him.
Sign up for updates for the Holi Newsletter: http://holinyc.com/
You can also visit NYC Bhangra Event Page: http://on.fb.me/Ud4zDS
More information on NYC Bhangra: http://bit.ly/VSsiJ5
Please invite your friends to this amazing event on Facebook, and also visit http://ilovefreeconcerts.com/holi/
We look forward to seeing you at this marvelous and beautiful event.
Rahul Bose switches into damage control mode, but offers no apology
Rahul Bose certainly knows how to broaden his female fan-base uttering just a few words.
It’s really quite simple. O2 in, CO2 out.
and another tweet that reads:
Please read ALL my tweets before jumping down my throat again! There are 10 of them. 11, w/this one. On a flight, so back in 3hrs. Cheers.
Cheerful as that sounds, he might be just on the verge of turning into the Indian equivalent of Mel Gibson and he should be perhaps the one to start with breathing exercises.
But thankfully India is more forgiving than America with people who step into a hornet’s nest. What he is talking about is the reaction to his proposal to rehabilitate rapists in India and transform them into “gender warriors” – whatever that means. A day later a holy storm unleashes on him in form of a twitter war.The poor guy all he wanted is help us women…. how could his effort backfire in this manner?
It just happens so that India has been rattled by most brutal gang rapes, every day now it seems new ones are being reported. It has women, mothers, fathers, daughters on edge.
The reaction wouldn’t be so strong if India’s justice system hadn’t been so lenient in dealing with rapists for as long as we can remember…What’s needed right now is harsher sentencing, follow-through. Women who come forward should be treated sensitively, instead being blamed for provoking what happened to them. Until now it seems victims were being accused, like “she had it coming, the way she dresses” But the last horrendous incident in Delhi last November, has turned a page after people took in drones to the street calling for justice.
We know Rahul Bose deep down has his heart in the right place, but this is a very delicate matter. And his message might have been misconstrued and ill-received because the times right now call for action, for stricter punishments. Also, it’s coming from a man. The politically correct thing to do for a man is to reaffirm the need of acknowledgment and punishment for rape, not so much forgiveness.
Besides, people extract from carpet statements the one or two ideas that emerge and are recognizable, sticking out like a sour thumb. Forgiveness and rehabilitation. Forgiveness HAS BEEN ALWAYS THERE, UNFORTUNATELY. That’s the problem. Part of the problem.
It’s a little bit like a white dude saying “I don’t understand. **Ni**er** is not a bad word, I hear black folks saying it all the time” and you want to grab him and tell him “It comes with a whole painful history attached to it!”
It’s the same as Rahul Bose telling us to show compassion to sorry-ass rapists and love conquers all. It’s the way to a better society.
He is living in dreamland. First of all, what about faking of being sorry? What about required long-term therapy and follow-ups? who’s going to pay for that.. how will you deliver those services? What about recidivism? are there any studies about the likelihood of repeat sex offenders in India? especially in a lenient system that prefers to hush dirty little secrets under the table…. it’s not as easy as handing out little cornflowers and preaching about the benefits of lovemaking vs rape. And please, shift the focus of your sermon to the victims and deliver services to them that make THEM heal from their psychological and physical wounds. Rapists should know: no mercy will be bestowed on you! That’s the only message that will bring change!
read more:
thebollywoodaddict 