The good response to the Monsoon fim festival, August 2007 would tempt any human being to plan sequels to similiar festivities. That's how the idea of organising regular film festivals cropped up, associating them with something very much regular. And what's more regular than the seasons - monsoon, autumn, winter and a spring film festival!
The present film festival concentrates on serious meaningful movies, which have won rave reviews. There is no specific theme but there are several invisible common threads running through the movies - human relationships especially father-son, human struggles and painful journeys through time.
SCREENING SCHEDULE
08.11.07
9.30 p.m Nadiya ke Paar (Hindi)
09.11.07
2.30 p.m Cinderella man (Eng)
6.00 p.m Roti Kapada aur Makaan (Hindi)
10.11.07
2.30 p.m Babam Ve Oglum (Turkish)
6.00 p.m Gandhi, my father (Hindi)
9.30 p.m Crash (Eng)
11.11.07
2.30 p.m Morning Raga (Hinglish)
6.00 p.m The Namesake (Eng)
6.00 p.m The Namesake (Eng)
Previews
Nadiya ke paar (1982)
Director: Govind Moonis
Cast: Sachin, Sadhana, Leela Mishra
Runtime: 153 mins
Nadiya ke Paar is an exceptional movie. It can be categorised as one of the great classics of Hindi Cinema. It revolves around a love story between two young persons divided by a river. The story is short and simple. Uttar Pradesh’s village culture and dialect is depicted with joy and maturity. Hum aapke hain Kaun is a gawdy remake of this great movie.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger
Runtime: 144 mins
This is an extraordinary movie exemplifying one man's extraordinary fight to save the family he loved. Cinderella Man is an American Academy Award-nominated drama film titled after the nickname and inspired by the real life story of former Heavyweight boxing champion, James J. Braddock.
Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974)
Director: Manoj Kumar
Cast: Manoj Kumar, Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Moushmi Chatterjee
Runtime: 150 mins
This movie has some of the greatest actors of Indian cinema; portraying a lot of social and political issues, which even after 33 years haven't changed much. Some of the characters have to go down as one of the greatest portrayals ever, in one of Manoj Kumar's best films. The film focuses on problems of unemployment.
Babam Ve Oglum (2005)
Director: Cagan Irmak
Cast: Çetin Tekindor, Fikret Kuskan, Hümeyra, Serif Sezer
Runtime: 108 mins
It is an exotic Turkish movie tailor-made for genuine cinema lovers. Sadik, a rebellious youth is a politically active university student who becomes a left-wing journalist in the 70's, despite his father's expectations of him becoming an agricultural engineer and taking control of their family farm in an Aegean village. When a merciless military coup hits the country, they go through a series of events after which, Sadik returns to his village with his young son, knowing very well that it will be hard to correct things with his father. A rare masterpiece.
Gandhi My Father (2007)
Director: Feroz Abbas Khan
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Darshan Zariwala, Shefali Shah
Runtime: 112 mins
Mahatma Gandhi could transform the soul of a nation but could not save the soul of his own son. This is a true story of one of the most revered father figures in contemporary history and his failed relationship with his own son. The freedom movement aptly forms a sepia-tinted backdrop to the family tussle and the film deftly sheds light on the darker side of Gandhigiri. It is a film of performances and duly showcases Akshaye Khanna's acting skills as never before. A worthy companion piece to Attenborough’s Oscar classic.
Crash (2004)
Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brendon Fraser
Runtime: 115 mins
People are born with good hearts, but they grow up and learn prejudices. This movie brings out bigotry and racial stereotypes. Set in Los Angeles, a city with a cultural mix of every nationality; this is an in-depth exploration on the themes of racism and prejudice, cause and effect, chance and coincidence as well as tragedy. It won 3 Oscars. Another 40 wins & 61 nominations
Morning Raga (2005)
Director: Mahesh Dattani
Cast: Shabana Azmi,Perizaad Zorabian,Prakash Rao
Runtime: 110 mins
Morning Raga is one of the most innovative and fresh films to come out of India in recent years . The film revolves around three main characters whose lives have each been shattered by tragic events of the past and how they are united by circumstance. Slowly they begin to work together and blend their passions to bring back the happiness they once had. These three are all connected by a love of music, and through this the film explores elements of classical Indian music, the raga, and combines it with contemporary rhythms to create the most unique and mesmerizing beats and echoing vocals.
The Namesake (2007)
Director: Mira Nair
Cast: Kal Penn, Tabu, Irfan Khan, Sahira Nair
Runtime: 122 mins
This movie is India's official entry to the 80th academy awards for the year of 2008 in the foreign film category.Based upon the novel The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, it is the story of the Ganguli family whose move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong balancing act to meld to a new world without forgetting the old. Though parents Ashoke and Ashima (Irrfan Khan, Tabu) long for the family and culture that enveloped them in India, they take great pride in the opportunities their sacrifices have afforded their children. Jhumpa Lahiri, the author of the novel The Namesake, appears in the film as Aunt Jhumpa.
