CINEMATIC BONANZA FOR LOVERS OF CINEMA IN THE CAPITAL
October should only have been remembered for the Festivals of Dussehra and Diwali, but it assumed a special significance for lovers of quality cinema and art in the capital, with the showing of as many as four film festivals including one on a rare gem of Indian cinema, Bimal Roy.
In addition, the festival had a unique festival of features and documentaries on the theme of sports from Canada , a showing of some of the most memorable films of one of the masters of world cinema Akira Kurosawa, and a feast of films from Walt Disney for the young ones.
Nostalgia was in the air, as cinegoers and family members of the late Bimal Roy gathered in tribute to the filmmaker who was among the first Hindi producer-directors to project films at major international film festivals in the fifties and sixties. His son Joy and daughter Aparajita Sinha said Roy had lived for his cinema and gave his whole attention to the medium and would continue to live in the hearts of the people as long as people keep coming to see his films.
The tribute to the filmmaker was organised by the Delhi International Arts Festival in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals and the National Film Archives India to commemorate his birth centenary with the screening of five Hindi films.
Ms Rattnotama Sengupta, daughter of the late filmmaker and writer Nabyendu Ghosh who had written for most of Roy’s films, said the films of Roy came out of real life characters and out of literature. The opening film ‘Bandini’, she said, was the humanizing factor of a criminal. Mr S M Khan, Director of Film Festivals, and Ms Arshiya Sethi of DIAF also paid their tributes on the occasion.
The other films screened are: ‘Parakh’, ‘Sujatha’, ‘Do Bigha Zameen’, and ‘Madhumati’. The films were varied for their range: if ‘Bandini’ is about the moral dilemma of a condemned woman and her struggle for social legitimacy, ‘Parakh’ is about greed and lust for money, ‘Sujatha’ is about the divides created by casteism, ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ deals with the hold of the zamindar on the rural poor, and ‘Madhumati’ is a commercial film with lighter moments tinged with some hints of re-incarnation.
It would therefore not be wrong to describe Bimal Roy as a filmmaker who crossed national and international boundaries through his cinema. Roy made around forty features and documentaries from 1944 to his death at the age of 56 on 7 January 1966 in Mumbai. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films.
After a long stint in Kolkata, he launched Bimal Roy Productions in 1952-53 with Do Bigha Zameen . The film made a strong universal impact for its humane portrayal of Indian peasantry. It is considered one of the 10 best Indian films of all time.
Do Bigha Zameen has the additional distinction of being one of the first Indian films to win awards and accolades: in China, UK, Karlovy Vary, Cannes, the then Soviet Union, Venice and Melbourne.
Even as the countdown has begun for the Commonwealth Games in October next year in the capital city, a festival of Canadian features and shorts on the theme of sports was held in the capital as part of DIAF.
Ms. Julia Bentley, Counsellor and Programme Manager, Political and Economic Affairs Programme, said at the inauguration that the films had been chosen in view of the Commonwealth Games and the winter Olympics commencing early in the new year in Canada.
She also appreciated the concept of a single arts festival covering all forms, during her brief introduction to the films at the Festival. The Canadian Film Festival was held in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission.
While there were three feature films and several documentaries on the line-up, the opening film was ‘Men with Brooms’, a 103-minute comedy highlighting a sport called ‘Curling’ - now an official sport at the Vancouver Olympics. There was a visually stunning and touching film called ‘One Week’ on Motorcycling; and ‘The Grand Seduction’ aka ‘ Seducing Dr Lewis’ which is a delightful and quaint comedy on cricket and is the closing film. That apart, the festival also had documentaries meant for enjoyment across age groups. These include ‘Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine’, ‘Too Colourful for the League’, ‘Hardwood’ and ‘Waterwalker’.
As around 300 young ones clapped and cheered as they went into the fantasy world of cinema, the efforts of the organizers of this last prominent event of the Delhi International Arts Festival were immediately rewarded.
At a time when contemporary Indian and western cinema is full of violence and gore, children in the capital had their hands full with a special festival of the choicest films from the library of Walt Disney. This is the second year that the DIAF organized a special festival for children. A large number of school children in school buses came to attend the screenings.
The festival had a mix of live action and animation films that are bound to appeal to all ages: ‘Finding Nemo’ (Director: Andrew Stanton) which was the opening film, ‘Cars’ (directed by John Lasseter and Joe Ranft) which was the closing film, ‘Enchanted’ (Director: Kevin Lima), and the three films of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ directed by Gore Verbinski: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean-The Curse of the Black Pearl’, ’Pirates of the Caribbean-The Dead Man’s Chest’, and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean-At World’s End’.
Early in the month, viewers had a rare peep into some of the best films of a master of world cinema, Akira Kurosawa. Renowned filmmaker Priyadarshan, who recently won the national award for the best film of 2007 for ‘Kanchivaram’, said Kurosawa had inspired thousands of filmmakers worldwide and continued to do so even after his death. He himself had been inspired by Kurosawa’s style and this was his reason for paying a tribute at the opening of the retrospective, he added.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the retrospective organized in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals and the Japanese Embassy, and the opening film was ‘Roshomon’ made in 1950.
Japan Information Centre Director Kojiro Uchiyama said even the film ‘Sholay’ was inspired by Kurosawa. He referred to the popularity of Indian cinema in Japan
Director of Film Festivals S M Khan and DIAF Director Pratibha Prahlad were also present in the occasion. The other films screened were ‘Doomed’, ‘High and Low’ Red Beard’ and ‘Sanjuro’ at the Sirifort Auditorium .
Best known in India for his films ‘Seven Samurai’ (1954) and ‘Roshomon’ (1950), he was a filmmaker who was copied by filmmakers all over the world. Kurosawa (23 March 1910 – 6 September 1998) was a director, producer, screenwriter and editor. In a career that spanned 50 years, Kurosawa directed 30 films. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in film history.
In 1989, he was awarded the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement "for cinematic accomplishments that have inspired, delighted, enriched and entertained worldwide audiences and influenced filmmakers throughout the world."
The DIAF, which is also unique for recognizing cinema as an art form, has has been organized for the third year in succession by the Prasiddha Foundation and is the brainchild of one of the most accomplished Bharatnatyam dancers of world fame Prathibha Prahlad.
It included a large variety of other events and staggered one with its sheer scope and range.
A Jammu and Kashmir Festival had 180 artists performing at Sri Ram Centre in Copernicus Marg, and DLF Mall in Saket. These artistes presented the culture of the northern state. There was a Popular Bands festival featuring almost ten bands, three of which are from Goa- Shanti, Puna Goesa and Jazz Junction at the DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj.
For the first time ever, the National Archives joined DIAF when it opened a specially mounted exhibition “Personal Archives” which paid a special tribute to freedom fighters. Another very important section was the ‘Artistic Voices from India and other Commonwealth Countries’. DIAF 2009 in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India planned the DIAF-ASI Heritage Series. This had performances by Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, the Wadali Brothers and others performing at some of the best known monuments of the 5500 year-old city of Delhi.
The literary fest had Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi along with Hindi Litterateur Ashok Vajpayee and journalist-author Tarun Tejpal among many others.
The Indian Classical Dance saw the inclusion of all the dance forms – from Bharatnatyam to Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri and Mohiniattam performed across three days at Sri Ram Centre. Other events included the Indian Classical Music with some renowned singers, a Sufi and Ghazal fest, choreographies performed by India’s best-known names – Aditi Mangaldas and Priti Patel – which were a mixture of both traditional and contemporary work with live music. The Fringe Festival provided a space for avant-garde and experimental performances and the “fringe” arts, featuring collaborative works in art forms like puppetry, masks, street arts, magic, acrobatics, storytelling and very short films etc. There were several visual arts exhibitions at various prime galleries and museums of the city, apart from eight plays at Epicentre Gurgaon , India Islamic Cultural Centre Lodhi Estate and the Sri Ram Centre.
COURTESY : B B NAGPAL
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