Day 4 - International Film Festival of India

IFFIDAILY
41st International Film Festival of India, Goa 22 November-02 December, 2010
day 4 | nov 25 2010
PLAYing TodAY:
MY DADDY
STRONGEST
inoX SCreen ii, 3.30 pm
Celebrating the Power of Celluloid
Director Rajkumar Hirani, lyricist Swanand Kirkire and writer Abhijat Joshi at the screening of their film 3 Idiots at Inox screen II on Wednesday.
GEORGIA CALLING: AMBASSADOR INVITES
INDIAN FILMMAKERS FOR CO-PRODUCTIONS
THE Georgian government will provide
incentives to the filmmakers,
especially those from India, who opt
for co-productions or shoot in Georgia,
the Ambassador of Georgia to
India, Zurab Katchkatchishvili, told
reporters on Wednesday.
Present in Goa to represent his
country and its cinema at IFFI-2010
where Georgia is one of the Countries
in Focus, Katchkatchishvili invited
Indian filmmakers for engaging
in co-productions with Georgian film
industry. He said the government is
working on some of the tax incentives
and would do all possible to facilitate
the filmmakers coming to
Georgia. He also informed the press
that representatives of Indian film industry
will be visiting Georgia before
the end of this year to see the picturesque
locales and to explore possibilities
of co-productions.
Pitching for his country, he said it
is a small country with diversified
and beautiful landscapes which offer
a huge variety to any filmmaker.
“We would like to get more Indian
filmmakers to Georgia making it
more appealing than Switzerland,”
he said.
Talking about the long and rich
tradition of Cinema in Georgia, director
and script writer Nana
Janelidze shared with the press the
under-currents of Cinema of her
country. She described lack of funding
as one of the main impediment
for lesser number of films being produced
there. Since its independence
from the Soviet Union some 20 years
back, Georgia has only produced 20
movies. The country has been
through turbulent times witnessing
three civil wars and financial crisis.
On an average, three movies are produced
every year now. Most of the
films produced are co-productions.
“EVERY child has a right to get educated
no matter what your circumstances, and
this is even more imperative after the
passing of the Right to Education Act by
the Government,” renowned character
actor Gulshan Grover said on Wednesday.
The actor said the film ‘I Am Kalam’
by Nila Madhab Panda, which is part of
the Indian Panorama, was aimed at encouraging
children and parents to realise
the importance of education and literacy.
Panda said 60 million children are
still not going to school despite education
being a right in the country.
He and the film’s writer and creative
director Sanjay Chauhan said the aim of
the film was to show that a determined
child could achieve what he wanted, if
the step was in the right direction.
Panda said the film had also won several
awards including the audience award
at the London Children’s Festival.
The movie marks the debut of Delhibased
12-year-old child Harsh Mayar in
the lead role. Harsh also showed his
prowess in singing by rendering singer
Kailash Kher’s popular song Saiyyan.
French theatre actress Beatrice Ordeix,
who has played a role in the film, said she
had learnt some Hindi for the film.
Child actor Hussan Saad has also
played a pivotal role in the film, which
has been funded by the Smile Foundation,
whose representatives were also present.
It is the story of young Chhotu who
works at a dhaba (roadside food joint)
and chances to strike a chord with Prince
Ranvijay of the royal mansion who is of
the same age. Chhotu does not have an
answer when people ask him his real
IN the Country Focus on Georgia at IFFI-
2010, five films have been selected. The
opening day saw the screening of
Janelidze’s film ‘Repentance’ (1984). The
other films which will be screened during
the festival here include ‘Pirosmani’
(1969), ‘The Legend of Suram Fortress’
(1984), ‘The Sun of the Sleepless’ (1992)
and ‘A Trip to
Karabakh’ (2005).
The Georgian cinema
survives today with a long, complex
and turbulent history. Cinema came to
Georgia at the same time as in Europe in
1896. It travelled to various parts of
Georgia and several cinema theatres
opened up, however 1908 is officially
considered the year cinema was born in
Georgia.
It is hoped that the films being
screened at IFFI will give an insight to
the delegates into the various styles of
filmmaking, the themes which dominated
the various decades, how a propagandist
stance emerged in the Georgian
cinema of the forties (considered
a period of stagnation), and how the
end of the fifties saw a new wave of
film directors and screenwriters. During
the 60s, a new kind of protagonist
who took on the establishment, laws
and stereotypes was
introduced. Several
films from the 60s
and the 70s were considered dissident
in Soviet Georgia as they used
metaphor, symbolism and national
folklore as an expression of protest the
soviet system.
In recent years Georgian cinema is
once again making a comeback. With new
financial support from the state as well as
private industry a new generation of talented
filmmakers, along with those who
stopped making films in the 90s, are making
a mark.
‘I am Kalam’ makes a strong plea
for children’s right to education
Actor Gulshan Grover and child actor
Harsh Mayar on Wednesday
Country Focus: Georgia
name and it is this question which
changes his life. “I am Kalam”, Chhotu
finds himself saying. He had seen on television
that former President APJ Abdul
Kalam was a poor kid like him, selling
newspapers. Chhotu is a dreamer and
Prince Ranvijay will do anything to make
his dreams come true.
The film is the first ever feature film
produced by Smile Foundation, a development
organisation addressing the issue
of children’s education in India. The film
made its world debut at the Marche du
Cannes (Cannes Film Festival Market
section, 2010).
The film is the feature debut of International
Award winning director
Nila Madhab Panda, who has produced
and directed over 60 documentaries,
short films, television drama
and films for international and national
broadcasters.
—B B NAGPAl
Gautam Valluri
@ IFFI TODAY
n Press conference
by Subhash Ghai, Rituparno
Ghosh and Riya
Sen on their film ‘Nauka
Dubi’ at 11 am at Press
Conference Hall, Media
Centre.
n Press conference
by V.K. Prakash,
Vachan Shetty and
Jayaprakash Kulur on
their ‘Aidu Ondola
Aidu’ at 12:30 pm at the
Press Conference Hall,
Media Centre.
n Press conference
by Umesh Kulkarni,
Girish Kulkarni, Dr.
Mohan Agashe and
Sharavi Kulkarni on
their film ‘Vihir’ at 3 pm
at Press Conference
Hall, Media Centre, Goa
on 25.11.2010.
n Interactive session
on documentary festival
‘Dancing Feet’ with
Sitara Devi and Dr
Sonal Man Singh at 2
pm at Black Box, Kala
Academy.
n Additional screening
of ‘Tomorrow Will
Be Better’ (Dir. Dorota
K’dzierzawska/Poland/
2010/117min./
Col./35mm)
at 10.30 pm INOX-III
n Open Forum
begins at 1:30 pm at
Inox courtyard.
Corrigendum
the name of actor
Jayaram was by mistake
printed as Jayaraj in the
strap of the lead story
yesterday.the error is
deeply regretted.

2
INOX SCREEN I
IFFIDAILY
Today’s Screening Schedule
November 25, 2010
08.30 A.M. 11.00 A.M. 02.00 P.M. 04.30 P.M. 07.00 P.M. 10.00 P.M.
THE REVERSE
Dir. Borys Lonkosz
Poland/2010/101 min./
B&W/Col./ 35mm (CW)
THEJA
Dir. Nilantha Hapanweera
Sri Lanka/2009/99
min./Col./ 2010 (CW))
CHANCE
Dir. Abner Benaim
Panama/2009/90
min./Col./ 35mm (CW)
N.F.D.C.
Mixed screening for Film
Bazaar Delegates and
IFFI Delegates
DEAR GALILEO
(NEETARM
GALILEO)
Dir. Nithiwat Tharatorn
Thailand/2009/129
min./Col./ 35mm (CW)
THE BLUE
MANSION
Dir. Glen Goei
Singapore/2009/100
min./Col./ 35mm (CW)
INOX SCREEN II
10.00 AM 12.30 PM 3.30 PM 6.00 PM 8.30 PM
**SESH ASHA (IP)
Dir: Dip Bhuyan
English/27min
MUMMY AND ME
(IP)
Dir: Jeethu Joseph
Malayalam/117min
**COURTROOM
NAUTANKI (IP)
Dir: Chittaranjan Tripathy
Hindi/ 14min
MONER MANUSH
(IP)
Dir: Goutam Ghose
Bengali/150min
**MY DADDY
STRONGEST (IP)
Dir: Suresh Triveni
English / 17min
PAIL TE SUMBARAN (IP)
Dir: Gajendra Ahire
Marathi / 120min
Malayalam/130min
**THE VICTIMS (IP)
Dir: Nabakumar Khagokpam &
Bina Khagokpam
Manipuri/25min
KAAL CHILAMBU (IP)
Dir: M.T. Annoor
Malayalam/110min
Tribute : Bina Rai
ANARKALI
Dir:
Nandlal Jaswantlal
Hindi/ 175min
INOX SCREEN III
09.00 A.M. 11.30 A.M. 02.30 P.M. 05.00 P.M. 07.30 P.M. 10.30 P.M.
THE HISTORY
OF CINEMA IN A
VILLAGE OF
POPIELAWY
Dir. Jan Jakub Kolski
Poland/1998/100
min./Col./ 35mm
(Rt.-JJK)
THE GREEN RAY/
SUMMER
(LE RAYON VERT)
Dir. Eric Rohmer
France/1986/90
min./Col./35mm
(H-ER)
5 DIAS SIN
NORA
Dir. Mariana
Chenillo
Mexico/2008/92
min./Col./35mm
(CF-M)
THE
MIRACULOUS
PLACE (CUDOWNE
MIEJSCE)
Dir. Jan Jakub Kolski
Poland/1994/94
min./Col./35mm
(Rt.-JJK)
GANGOR
(BEHIND THE
BODICE)
Dir. Italo Spinelli
Italy/India/2010/94
min./Col./ 35mm (CW)
TOMORROW
WILL BE
BETTER
Dir. Dorota
K’dzierzawska
Poland/2010/117
min/Col/35 mm
(CW)
INOX SCREEN IV
VANITY FAIR
Dir. Mira Nair
USA/2004/144 min./Col.
Blu Ray
(Rt.-MN)
09.15 A.M. 11.45 A.M. 02.45 P.M. 05.15 P.M. 07.45 P.M.
IPHIGINIA
Dir. Michael
Cacoyannis
Greece/1977/127
min./Col./35mm
(Rt.-MC)
KILL THE HABIT
Dir. Laura Neri
Belgium/Greece/
Italy/USA/80 min./
Col./DG BETA (CD)
PIROSMANI
Dir. Georgiy Shengelaya
Georgia/1969/85 min./Col./
DG-BETA (CF-G)
PINK SARIS
Dir. Kim Longinotto
India/2010/100
min./Col./DG BETA
(I-VBI)
MAQUINEZ 1
09.30 A.M. 12.00 P.M. 3.00 P.M. 05.30 P.M. 8.00 P.M.
KABHI
HAAN
KABHI NAA
Dir Kundan
Shah
Hindi/158 min
Tribute :
Pankaj Advani
FTII Golden Jubilee
1) **37 DOWN MANMAD
PASSENGER (1967)
Dir: Kumar Shahani /14 min
2) **AWASHESH (1975)
Dir: Girish Kasarvalli// 20min
3) **BODHVRIKSHA (1985)
Dir: Rajan Khosa/ 30min
4) **JEE KARTA THA (1997)
Dir: Hansa Thapliyal/ 21min
5) **KRAMASHA (2007)
Dir: Amit Dutta/ 22min
Platinum Jubilee
Oriya Cinema
Inauguration
by Shri Prafull Samal,
Minister of P.R, Govt.
of Orissa
ADI MIMAMSA
Dir A.K. Bir
Oriya/109 min
Platinum Jubilee
Oriya Cinema
MAYA MIRIGA
Dir: Nirad Mahapatra
Oriya/120 min.
NFAI Classic
MARTAND VARMA
(1930)
Dir: P. V. Rao
Silent/90min
KALA ACADEMY
09.30 A.M. 12.00 P.M. 3.00 P.M. 05.30 P.M. 8.00 P.M.
SUDU
KALUWARA
Dir. Sudath Rohana
Sri Lanka/2003/Col./
35mm (CF-SL)
MENTIONED TWICE
(BRAN NUE DAE)
Dir. Rachael Perkins
Australia/2009/88 min./
Col./35mm (AIIS)
THE OTHER (DIGARI)
Dir. Mehdi Rahmani
Iran/2010/84 min./Col./35mm (CIC-G)
IRA MADIYAMA
Dir. Prasanna Vithanage
Sri Lanka/2003/108 min./
Col./35mm (CF-SL)
RABBIT PROOF
FENCE
Dir. Phil Noyce
Australia/2001/94 min./
Col./35mm (AIIS)
(Rt.-MC) Retrospective - Michael Cacoyannis (Rt.-JB) Retrospective - Jean Becker (Rt.-JJ) Retrospective - Jim Jarmusch (USA)
(Rt.-MN) Retrospective - Mira Nair (India) (Rt.-JJK) Retrospective - Jan Jakub Kolski (Poland) (CF-M) Country Focus – Mexico
(CF-G) Country Focus – Georgia (CF-SL) Country Focus – Sri Lanka (H-ER) Homage – Eric Rohmer
(CK-2010) CANNES Kaleidoscope – 2010 (CIC-G) Contemporary Iranian Cinema - A Glimpse (CD)Cinema Digital (IC) International Competition
(I-VBI) Inspirations – Visions Behind Images (AIIS)Australian Indigenous Images on Screen (CW)Cinema of the World

a
a
November 25, 2010
IFFIDAILY 3
bQhySaM ij ;afxLrku dk dCtk
eqds’k dkSf’kd
fQYEkksRlo egkfuns’kky; esa la;qDr funs’kd vkSj
lR;ftr js fQYe ,aM Vsyhfotu baLVhV~;wV ds funs’kd
Hkkjr dh vkcknh dk 60 izfr’kr ;qok gSa vkSj vxj
bldh dgha lkQ >yd vkSj izfrfuf/kRo ns[kus dks
fey jgk gS rks og 41 oka varjjk”Vªh; fQYeksRlo gSA
bl mRlo esa fo’ks”k :i ls ;qokvksa dk opZLo gS& ;qok
dykdkjksa] mnh;eku funZs’kdksa] mRlkgh ;qok
dk;ZdrkZvksa vkSj fQYe ds ckWDl vkWfQl ij ;qokvksa
dh yEch drkjksa ls xksok dk fQYeksRlo iwjh rjg
;afxLrku cu x;k gSA
bl fQYeksRlo es a ;qokvks a vkSj fo’ks”k :i ls Nk=ks
dks vkdf”kZr djus ds fy, fo’ks”k ;ax twjh vokWMZ Hkh
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dks fQYe ewY;kadu ds ckjs es a izf’kf{kr fd;k x;k vkSj
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uke fn;k x;k gSA bl lsD’ku esa psUubZ fQYe Ldwy]
fQYe ,aM Vsyhfotu baLVhV~;wV] iwuk vkSj lR;ftr js
fQYe ,aM Vsyhfotu baLVhV~;wV ds Nk=ksa dh y?kq
fQYEkksa dks vkeaf=r fd;k x;k gSA
Jh ‘kadj eksgu us dgk fd bl lsD’ku esa rhuksa
laLFkkuksa ds Nk=ksa dh d`fr;ksa dks LFkku nsdj mUgsa
fQYeksRlo dk fgLlk cuk;k tk jgk gSA mUgksaus dgk
fd bl lsD’ku dks ysdj Nk= cgqr mRlkfgr gSaA
lsD’ku dh D;wjsVj ehjk nhoku us crk;k fd bu
Nk=ksa dh fQYeksa ds izn’kZu ds fy, lk

4
IFFIDAILY
la?k”kZ ls iuis laxhr ds Loj
November 25, 2010
Hkkjr dk laxhr ‘kkL=h;rk esa jpkclk
gS\’kk;n ughaA vxj yhfoax gkse dh ekusa
rks Hkkjrh; laxhr dk tUe dgha vkSj gh
gks jgk gSA fdlh can va/ksjs dejs esa ftlds
ckjs esa iM+kslh lksprs gksa fd ogka Cyw fQYesa
cuk;h tk jgh gksaxh& ;k fdlh ,sls ?kj esa
tks d’ehj dh oknh ls foLFkkfir gksdj
u, fljs ls lekt esa viuk LFkku cuk jgk
gksxk& ;k fdlh ,sls Loj esa tks eqEcbZ ds
naxksa dh phRdkj ls nzfor gqvk gksxk&
fdlh lwQh dh ok.kh ls ;k ueZnk ds ?kkV ij
vius gdks a ds fy, yM+rs vkfnokfl;ks a ds yksd
laxhr es a Hkkjrh; laxhr fNik gS vkSj bafM;u
vks’ku cS aM us mls csgn
fganqLrkuh vankt es a yksxks a ds lkeus is’k fd;kA
ysfdu mls funZs’kd dk D;k dgas tks
bl cSaM ds ihNs dSejksa dks ys x;k vkSj
laxhr cSaM ij ftlus nks ?kaVs dh xSj Qhpj
fQYe cuk nhA bl fgEer dh nkn nsus
okyk xksok dk varjjk”Vªh; fQYeksRlo
fudyk tgka bls Hkkjrh; iSuksjek dh igyh
xSj Qhpj fQYe ds rkSj iznf’kZr fd;k
x;kA nks ?kaVs rd yksx ,d cSaM dk tUe
gksus vkSj mlds toku gksus dh vn~Hkqr
yhfoax gkse dh ekusa rks Hkkjrh; laxhr dk tUe fdlh ,sls can va/ksjs dejs esa gks jgk gS
ftlds ckjs esa iM+kslh lksprs gksa fd ogka Cyw fQYesa cu jgh gksaxh
dgkuh ns[krs jgsA
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dh Bd Bd ds chp ls ?kqekrs gq, djksy
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vksj ys tkrh gS ftlds VwVs QwVs vkaxu esa
fxVkj] rcyk vkSj Mªe Hkkjrh; vankt esa
laxhr iSnk dj jgs Fks vkSj nks n’kd ckn
tcnZLr [;kfr gkfly djus okyk bafM;u
vks’ku cSaM ftl gaxkes dh xksn esa viuk
cpiu fcrk jgk FkkA
bl cSaM ds pkj lnL;ksa esa ls ,d
v’khe pdzorhZ dk fiNys lky fnlEcj esa
laf{kIr chekjh ds ckn nsgkar gks x;k vkSj
;g fQYe mUgha dks lefiZr dh xbZ gSA
fnypLi ckr ;g gS fd bl fQYe esa
vf/kdrj okrkZyki vkSj fnypLi fVIif.k;ka
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yksdfiz;rk fey jgh gS] D;ksafd **fQjaxh
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jsok rsjk ikuh fueZy^^ tSls pfpZr xhrksa dh
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iwjh fQYe dh i`”BHkwfe djksy ckx ds
edku dh j[kh xbZ gS tgka bafM;u vks’ku
ds flrkjksa us vius laxhr dks cgl ds
ek/;e ls iuik;kA jkgqy jke] lqf”er lsu
vkSj vfer dfye dh dgkfu;ksa dks mudh
laxhr dh tqcku esa xawFkk x;kA ifjokj ds
lnL;ksa muds thou ds xSi iwjs fd, vkSj
nksLrksa us mu fdLlksa dk c;ku fd;k
ftudh ik;nkuks a ij pyrs gq, bafM;ku vks’ku
us nqfu;k esa [;kfr vftZr dhA
t;nhi oekZ us bl fQYe dks Hkkjrh;
iSuksjek dh igyh fQYe ds :i eas pqus
tkus ij xoZ izdV djrs gq, dgk fd og
tc tc bl fQYe dks ns[krs gSa rks mUgsa
vius Hkkjrh; gksus ij vkSj vf/kd xoZ gksus
yxrk gSA
xksok esa vk, 3 bfM;kWV~l
ds 4 thfu;l
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lkFk fQYe ds iVdFkk ys[kd vfHktkr tks’kh] xhrdkj Lokuan fdjfdjs vkSj
fQYe ds laiknd jathr cgknqj ekStwn FksA
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ds funs’kd Hkwisanz dSaFkksyk us fd;kA
;g fQYe Hkkjr ds izkax.k esa vius xqy f[kyk jgs vkfo”dkjh yksxksa dh
lPph nkLrku ij vk/kkfjr gSA blesa dsjy ds Nk= jsek tksl }kjk cukbZ xbZ
dljr dh lkbfdy&de&okf’kax e’khu] esjB ds ukbZ eksgEen bnjhl }kjk
cukbZ xbZ ?kksM+s ds cky drjus dh e’kuh vkSj egkjk”Vª ds iasVj tgkaxhj }kjk
cukbZ LdwVj ls pyus okyh vkVk pDdh tSls vkfo”dkjksa dks fQYe esa fn[kk;k
x;k gSA
f’k{kk ds rkSj rjhdksa cnyus dk lans’k nsrh bl fQYe us viuh fjyht ds
yxHkx ,d lky ckn Hkh xksok esa viuk ogh iqjkuk jax fn[kk;kA
cM+s edln ds fy, mBh NksVw dh vkokt
Hkkjr esa f’k{kk dk vf/kdkj dk dkuwu cu pqdk gS ysfdu vc Hkh ns’k esa 6 djksM+
cPps Ldwy ugha tk ikrsA gj cPps dk f’k{kk feyuh pkfg, vkSj ;g vkokt **NksVw^^
ds fdjnkj esa ,d ckjg o”khZ; cPpk g”kZ e;kj l’kDr fQYe **vkbZ ,e dyke^^ ds
tfj, mBk jgk gSA fQYe esa izeq[k Hkwfedk fuHkkus okys ckWyhoqM ds [kyuk;d xqy’ku
xzksoj us vkt xksok ds fQYeksRlo esa bl fQYe ds ckjs esa Hkyk er is’k
fd;kA
vkbZ ,e dyke dk uk;d g”kZ e;kj fnYyh esa jgus okyk cPpk gS tks
detksj oxZ ls mBdj fQYe txr es a igqapkA Qzkal dh fFk;sVj dykdkj chfVªDl
vkWfnDl vkSj xqy’ku xzksoj dh Hkh blesa vge Hkwfedk,a gSaA fQYe dh dgkuh
**NksVw^^ uke ds ,d cPps ds bnZfxnZ cquh dbZ gS tks QqVikFk ds ,d

November 25, 2010
IFFIDAILY 5
CII’s workshop:
Strategies to get
your movie to
global film
festivals
& markets
Prominent Indian classical dancers Pandit Birju Maharaj, Sitara Devi and Dr Sonal Mansingh at the inauguration of Dancing Feet, a film festival on Classical
Dances and Gurus, at Black Box, Kala Academy, on Wednesday.
Photo Division
Dancing Feet film fest begins
Dancing gurus Pandit Birju Maharaj, Sitara
Devi, Dr Sonal Mansingh were felicitated by
goa chief Minister Digambar Kamath and Director-general
of Films Division Kuldeep
Sinha at the inauguration of Dancing Feet, a
film festival on classical Dances and gurus,
on Wednesday at Black Box, Kala academy.
Last year’s a section called ‘Moments with
the Maestros’ was organised on the same lines
to preserve the glory of indian classical music.
The new generation must not take whatever
music is being made today as the true music of
indian culture, Sinha said.
“Whether i am here or not i will continue
with my efforts to preserve the indian culture
and heritage.”
“i just wanted to show everybody that an HiV+
person can do everything like a normal person,”
K. H. Pradip Kumar, who fought against all odds
to build his body before he went on to win the
Mr Manipur title despite of being HiV+.
Mr india, a documentary featuring Pradip
Kumar was screened on day-two of iFFi-2010,
as part of the indian Panorama’s non-feature section.
“i also wanted to fight (against) the discrimination
and stigma that society puts us
through. Don’t be broken hearted, look at me,”
he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
He said he never told anybody about his condition
before he won the Mr Manipur title. He
went on with his aspirations of body building
even when the doctor advised against it, Pradip
said, adding that his family was very supportive
during his ordeal. “all we want is moral support”,
he said.
Meanwhile, the director of the documentary,
Haoban Paban Kumar, who was also present at
the press meet, said for him Pradip is Mr india.
“He won the Bronze and Silver medal consecutively
at the competition but to me he is Mr
india,” he said.
Talking about the documentary, he said: “My
film is a celebration of life. The idea behind the
movie was to support the cause of people suffering
from HiV. This was a story that people needed
to know. and i thought that if i made this movie
it would help Pradip too. it took me two years to
finish this movie and my friends from Satyajit
Ray Film and Television institute (SRFTi) in
Kolkata were with me throughout,” he said.
asked about the situation of film industry in
Manipur, he said the “celluloid is almost extinct
due to financial problems, but digital cinema is
Sonal Mansingh touched Sitara Devi’s feet,
had come on a wheelchair. Sitara Devi said,
“Birju is my brother and my guruji’s brother.”
She seemed jovial.
These iconic personalities were felicitated
with Shrifal, shawl and mementoes.
“i met with an accident. i was not fully recovered,
yet i presented my first dance on indian
soil. Sitaraji was presentthen.’Unhone mere gale
pe kala dhaga bandh diya’. She appreciated my
performance,” recalled Dr Sonal Mansingh.
The function was lively, given Sitara Devi’s
anecdotes and the camaraderie amongst the three
stalwarts of indian classical Dances.
Films Divisions, which has managed to
meticulously preserve all aspects of indian culture
like information, social development,
human resources, craft, etc., has come up with
the subject that touches a cord with the indian
sentiment. The section titled “Dancing Feet”
pays tribute to the renowned dancers and gurus
by showing films based on them. This was
conceived as a sequel to the well-received programme
‘Moments with the Maestros’, held as
part of 40th iFFi last year.
This year, the Division has presented 22 documentaries
on indian classical dances, including
biopics on some of the exponents of this great
art like Mallika Sarabhai, Dr Sonal Mansingh,
Kanak Rele, Uma Sharma, Raja Radha Reddy
etc. have been included.
—Sonal Makhijani Azad
‘I wanted to show HIV+ people can
do everything like a normal person’
Says K. H. Pradip Kumar on whom documentary Mr India is based
Mr. India, Director Haobam Paban Kumar and K. H. Pradip Kumar Singh, at the press conference on
Wednesday.
Photo Division
fast catching up in his home state”. in assam,
about 20 films are made in every year, he said,
adding that he has finished working on a movie
title ‘nupi Sabi’ which tells the story of three
men who impersonate women on stage.
— gaRgi SEngUPTa
HoW to find global markets for your
film? How to get it into the prestigious
film festivals of the world? Both are at
least million dollar questions, if not
more. confederation of indian industry
(cii)’s annual Big Picture conference,
held regularly at iFFi, took the
shape of a workshop this year, and
tried to answer these very questions.
The event, held at Hotel Taj Vivanta,
had a panel comprising L. Suresh
(President, Film Federation of india),
Jiten Hemdev (film distributor), Frank
Stehling (MD, Prime House consulting,
Berlin), Uma Dacunha (consultant,
various film festivals) and
Meenakshi Shedde (consultant, various
film festivals). it was moderated
by natarajan Vidyasagar (consultant,
cii Media and Entertainment Division
and Editor, Pickle magazine).
Mr. Suresh confessed that many
india filmmakers, including he himself,
were guilty of procrastination and
of not making due preparation required
to help their films reach international
film festivals abroad. Stehling
felt that famous directors or wellknown
star casts are the initial pulls
that selectors feel when looking at any
film title. Distributor-buyer Hemdev
bemoaned the absence of any indian
film market on the lines of the american
or HongKong markets, where, in
spite of strong local content, one could
peruse thousand of titles and get deals
done at attractive, affordable and recoverable
prices. He suggested that
small producers should make films in
High Definition format, and aim for
the Pay Per View and Satellite sectors
to generate revenues.
often asked what kind of films do
programmers and curators look for,
Shedde confessed that a film that appeared
specially designed for a festival
often puts them off, and they, instead,
get hooked by ‘different’ content. But
she suggested that makers should do
their home-work and analyse the films
that make it to festivals like cannes, to
learn the tricks of the trade, instead of
coming to curators like her, and pleading
to get their films ‘in’, somehow.
High quality sub-titling is a great asset,
which most indian films, sadly, lack.
Da cunha was despondent over the
fact that distributors do not promote
art-house films at all, and shy away
even from free publicity, like emails
and SMSs. She opined that analysis
and research of ‘festival quality’ was
good, but content should be original, a
case in point being the recent goan
film, Paltadacho Munis (The Man Beyond
the Bridge, a small film about a
forest guard), which was made by a
largely amateur unit, but wowed audiences
in many festivals abroad.
among the attendees was Bengaluru-based
director Prakash, who
touched on the cinema situation in his
city, where75% of cinemas had gone
completely digital. Rajesh Kumar
Singh, Mumbai-based film, television
and theatre director, felt that the need
of the hour was distributors with a passion
for art-house cinema, and access
to cinemas, on the lines of the akashwani
auditorium in Mumbai, which
screened parallel cinema from india
and abroad during the 70s. That was
history, stressed Da cunha, and saw no
possibility of that era returning. a
strong public television network, like
the one in germany, could provide a
good platform for art-house films, especially
in these days of dwindling
theatre audiences, was the solution
proposed by Stehling.
— SIrAj SyeD

6
IFFIDAILY
November 25, 2010
Let platinum year be harbinger of Odia film industry’s revival
Ashok PAlit
IN 1934, a man from Puri, Mohan Sundar Dev Goswami mooted
the idea of producing an Odia film. Back then, Odisha (then
Orissa) lacked the basic infrastructural for film production — no
director or a well-equipped studio was available. But Goswami prepared
his own script based on a drama written by Kampal Mishra and
teamed up with Priyanath Ganguli of Kolkata to produce first Oriya
film ‘Sita Bibaha’ (Sita’s marriage). The film releases on April 28,
1936, on occasion of Utkal Gourav Madhusudhan Jayanti at Laxmi
Takies in Puri. ‘Sita Bibaha’ was the saga of a relentless struggle for
a manifestation of Odia identity on celluloid. It is a trenchant reminder
that Oriya film industry culminated from an undying determination
of dreamers, who faced odds — at home and from outside.
In spite of sincere efforts of Goswami, ‘Sita Bibaha’, a commercial
failure, put the brake on the making of Odia films for the next 13
years. No financier was ready to invest his money in another ‘disaster’.
Then, Rupa Bharati, one of the first public limited companies in
India, was formed in 1948 to provide a possible solution to the problem
of finance. It collected shares worth Rs 10 to Rs 100 form people
and decided to produced a film based on the legend associated with
Lord Jagannath. Soon another film company Eastern Movietone
came up, to beat Rupa Bharati. It produced ‘Lalita’ (1949), which too
was based on Lord Jagannath. The following year, Rupa Bharati produced
and released ‘Sri Jagannath’, which was about abolition of untouchability.
This was the first Odia film to be remade in Telugu and
was a big hit in south India.
Fifties witnessed the advent of socio-mythological themes. The
films made then include ‘Roll-28’, a love story directed by Kalyan
Gupta, ‘Amari Gaan Jhia’, another love tale with dramatic twists-andturns;
‘Kedar Gouri’, yet another sentimental love story ending on a
tragic note; ‘Saptasajya’, a myth-based social drama, and ‘Bhai-Bhai’
a story woven around ‘untouchability’ and ‘cast system’. The films of
the 50s were simply ‘photographed theaters with a lot of co-incidence
in drama, often leading to melodrama. Sri Mahalaxmi Puja (1959)
made by Krushna Chandra Tripathy Sharma of Aska, Ganjam at the
fag end of fifties, was a commercial success. Once again the mythological
film proved to be safer bets, and Sharma began to be regarded
as the pioneer of the genre. He continued his lone efforts in making
such films and went on to the dub few films from other language as
well, like “Parinam (1960), Dashyu Ratnakar (1962) and Nari (1963).
Between sixties and till the early seventies, only a couple of
films were produced. The sixties began with ‘Sri Lokanath’ which
was critically acclaimed and a commercial success too. It was also
the first Odia film to win a National Award, in 1960. The film had
a fresh flavour. Based on the conflicting attitudes of two brothers
— one an atheist and the other a theist, the wife of the elder brother
acting as a catalyst for a compromise between the two. It’s rural
FTII GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION
Five student films to be screened today at Maquinez-I, begining from 12 noon
Power of myths is that they go
with all times: Elektra director
“I want to explore themes that have endless validity…
The story of Electra (a Greek mythological character) is
several thousands of years old, but it is still relevant,”
said Shyamaprasad, the director of the film ‘Elektra’.
“The power of myths is that they go with all times,”
he said.
The film, which was screened at IFFI 2010 in the
presence of its lead actress Manisha Koirala and
Shyamaprasad, explores the texture of desire and loss.
I have taken the same story of Electra into a household
in Kerala in my film. I wanted to see how that work
in a contemporary society in Kerala, the directors said.
He said the highlight of his film is the performances
by actress Nayantara and Manisha Koirala and actor
Prakash Raj.
He said it was unfortunate that people often relate
Electra to ‘Electra complex’. “I think it’s a basic story
within any family… it’s about the cycle of crime, revenge
and punishment,” he said.
Elektra is Shyamaprasad’s fifth film at IFFI. His earlier
film, Ore Kadal, based on Bengali novel by Sunil
Gangopadhyay, enjoyed the honor of being the inaugural
film of the Indian Panorama at the IFFI in 2007.
A still from Nirad Mahapatra’s National Award winning film Maya Miriga
PLATINUM JUBILEE OF ODIA CINEMA
Inauguration today at 3 pm at Maquinez I
**KRAMASHA
(2007)
Dir: Amit Dutta/
22min
Manisha Koirala at IFFI on Wednesday
Docs & shorts
by ramesh tekwani
milieu was quite convincing.
The Odia cinema’s glorious time, in terms of quality, came between
1960 and 1970. During the period, a number of Odia films
were made on book by popular novelist like Kanhu Charan Mohanty
(‘Kaa, Abhinatri’), Basanti Kumari Pattnaik (‘Amadabata’) Upendra
Kishore Das (‘Mala Janha’) and Kalandi Charan Panigrahi (‘Matira
Manisha’) to name a few. The film’s themes then centered around
the ideal women encountering various social and psychological conflicts,
ultimately emerging gloriously from all vicissitudes of life. The
female protagonists in ‘Sadhana’ and ‘Bhai Bhauja’ upheld the traditional
values and through tolerance and patience, overcome their
problems. During the entire sixties, two outstanding film were made,
they were ‘Nitai Palit’s Malajanha’ and Mrinal Sen’s ‘Matira Manisha’.
Commercially both the film did not do well but showed a definite
attitude in Odia cinema.
Major stars of fifties and sixties include Gour Prasad, Sarat Pujari,
Ratikanta and Pramod Gloria, Chapala, Shanti Sudha, Sukhalata, Jharana,
Geeta and Minati. Later, during the seventies and eighties, Prasanta
Nanda, Sriram Panda, Uttam Mohanty, Bijaya Mohanty, Ajit
Das, Tripura Misra, Banaja, Sujata, Malabika, Mahasweta, Deepa
Sahu, Niharika, Anita, Subhra Pati, Baisali, Aparajita, etc., appeared
in the leading roles.
From eighties to nineties, Miher Das, Sidhanta, Rachana Banarjee
ruled the industries. After Mahaswata and Prasanta Nanda,
Uttam and Aparajita, Sidhanta-Rachana, they acted in maximum
number of Odia films.
During the seveties, especially after the runway hit, ‘Mamata’
(1975) directed by Bymokesh Tripathy of Anapurna Theater, there
was a sudden rise in film production costs. Though a number of Odia
films were produced, no attempt was made to provide the basic
amenities to the producers in the state. To overcome the same and to
encourage Odia films, the Orissa Film Development Corporation Ltd.
was established in 1976.
The first colour Odia film, “Gapa Helevi Sata”, was made in 1976,
though a partially colour film, ‘Samaya’, had been made a year before.
During the mid seventies, Oriya cinema lost its direction, films
were made with the sole intension of doubling the investments, irrespective
of quality. During the eighties, a total of 119 films were produced;
maximum, 17 films, in 1986.
However, most important event of the Oriya film industry happened
in the eighties with the arrival of three directors of the “Parallel”
cinema”: Nirad Mohapatra, Manmohan Mohapatra and Sagir
Ahamed. All from Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, they
brought glory to the film industry. Nirad Mohapatra’s ‘Maya Miriga’
(1984) is a milestone in the history of Odia Cinema. It is the only
second Odia film to have won National Award for Best Film. Shagir
Ahamed ‘Dhare Allua’ was selected to Indian Panorama in 1984
along with ‘Maya Miriga’. On the other hand Manmohan Mohapatra
laid the foundation of new wave cinema in Odisha in 1982, with his
first film ‘Seeta Rati’, which was included in IFFI’s Indian Panorama
in 1982. Other notable directors are A.K. Bir, Shantanu Mishra, Biplab
Roy Choudhury, Pranab Das, Sushanta Mishra, Subash Das,
Bijoy Ketan Mishra, Prafulla Mohanty, Chakradhar Sahu, Sabyasachi
Mohapatra and Dolly Jena.
By 1990, the film industry was hit by the TV boom and faced a
threat from threat from mega-budget Hindi films. Number of theaters
did not improve, major banners were disillusioned about the
type of film to make. Some entered the small screen. Audience refuse
to see the same faces in every film. Since 2000 to till date,
Odia film production has increased. But most of the film were a remake
of Hindi, Telgu or Bengali films. Yet, it is heartening to note
that many new talents from the film institute are coming forward
to take up assignments in Odia films. The industry needs support
from all sections of the society to prevent it from withering away.
Let the platinum year be the harbinger of its revival.
The writer is a journalist and film writer based in Odisha.
What do you need the most
to make a film? Passion
N Vidyasagar and Manoj Srivastav at the discussion
I HAD always thought that something needed to
happen to provide inspiration to a documentary
or short filmmaker to get going. Today, I discovered
that passion, alone, is enough to get a film
made; and that is what got Ramprasad Adpaikar
going. He started with wanting to make a film.
Then, he went on to create a premise. A story developed
around this, a script written and shot.
The result, a film called Sin. An experimental
film that is, both, interesting to watch and discuss,
post viewing.
A picture may be worth a thousand words;
but, a few well chosen words woven into a story
can add value that is multiplied multi-fold. That
is what Chaitanya Tahane discovered when he
went out to check out the tea tasters at Darjeeling.
As the buyer takes a sip, especially a big
international one, he is given a colourful account
of the origin of the tea that he is sipping
so carefully : that the leaves are plucked at night
under a full moon by chosen virgins… the story
is built up layer by layer and as the buyer laps
up the story, the price of the tea gets enhanced.
Sometimes going up to fifty thousand rupees
and more per kilo. The buyer may or may not
have been convinced; but Chaitanya sure was!
He just had to put this on film. An ordinary expose
was too passé for this young filmmaker.
He took the real and fictionalised it in Six
Strands. How he shot the film makes a good
subject for yet another film.
Surjo Deb’s Twisted Bitter delved into creativity
and plagiarism. A story based on a story
and its aftermath. Leading on to a discussion of
ethics and choices before filmmakers. Deb may
have made a film that had plagiarism in its underlying
layers but he, together with his colleagues
on the dais and the audience were all of
one opinion. Ban plagiarism.
Well placed righteousness apart, the audience
that met these directors was curious to know
how these films got made and that how could
they be monetised. Saameer Mody of 1TakeMedia
provided a part solution. The 1 Take Media
Channel on the internet. If you have a short film,
then 1TakeMedia will take it up on a non-exclusive
revenue sharing basis. The returns depending
upon the clicks your film generates gets you
the money. There is nothing that works as effectively
as viral. Talk to Saameer, if you have a
film for him. He has an international audience
waiting for you just a click away.
The day ended with a message from the CEO
of ESG, Manoj Srivastav. He played an incomparable
duet with N Vidyasagar of Pickle Magazine.
The pipers were telling the audience how
they could shoot in Goa at a whole lot of interesting,
exotic, traditional, historic, sunny, watery,
breezy, staid, unique and once in a life time locations
and take back some money after all that. So,
when are you coming back to shoot in Goa?
The writer is a director and producer of short films and
has been moderating discussion sessions at the Short Film
Center.
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