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Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
17th Habitat Film Festival turns the spotlight on doyens of Indian cinema
Shyam Benegal's debut film Ankur was unprecedented in more ways than one. Besides challenging the template of a quintessential Bollywood film as we knew it, it addressed real yet uncomfortable issues of feudalism as well as caste and gender politics, sans dance and music. The 1974 film, starring Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag, is credited with heralding a new wave of cinema in India. Benegal's illustrious life and career will be celebrated with an expansive retrospective at the 17th edition Habitat Film Festival (HFF) between May 16 and 25 at Delhi's India Habitat Centre. The director's contributions as the pioneer of parallel cinema would be commemorated in an exhibition, 'The Cinema of Shyam Benegal', featuring archival material from the Tuli Research Centre for India Studies. Alongside Ankur, the retrospective will also see the screenings of the path-breaking Mandi, the iconic Manthan and the memorable Junoon. Besides Benegal, the festival will pay tribute to several other stalwarts of Indian cinema, including Azmi, who is celebrating 50 years of her career, and director Aparna Sen, both of whom will be in conversation with each other before the screening of Ankur. 'We celebrate 50 years of three iconic stars in Indian cinema, we pay tribute to some legends of Indian Cinema on their 100th birth anniversary year and raise a hurrah for contemporary cinema trailblazers,' said Vidyun Singh, Creative Head Programmes, Habitat World, India Habitat Centre. Other legends of the screen who celebrate 50 years on the silver screen include the Southern showstoppers Rajnikanth and Chiranjeevi. A talk by S V Srinivas, Professor at the School of Liberal Studies, Azim Premji University in Bengaluru, will chronicle the characteristics, limitations and possibilities of southern superstardom. A vibrant 'Dastangoi Dastan-e-Raj Kapoor', directed by Mahmood Farooqui and performed by Rajesh Kumar and Rana Pratap Sengar, will celebrate the actor's birth centenary year. There will also be a screening of his iconic film Awaara, an exhibition of posters of the art of Kapoor's cinema, and a screening of a documentary on the actor directed by Siddharth Kak. Birth centenary year celebrations of Muhammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Tapan Sinha will be marked by a discussion of books on their illustrious careers and a screening of a Tapan Sinha film. The lives of Aruna Vasudev, 'Mother of Asian Cinema' and founder NETPAC, and Manoj Kumar, will be celebrated with screenings of NETPAC award-winning films and Kumar's Upkaar, respectively. The festival this year will screen 24 films, across different Indian languages, that highlight varied social issues, including human-environment conflict (Raavsahab, Sangala), and gender and caste discrimination (Swaha, Appuram, Aajoor). That cinema is a mirror to society comes through in Humans in the Loop, which looks at the advent of AI. Meanwhile, films such as Cinema pe Cinema and Behind the Scenes turn the camera inwards, focussing on the world of cinema. The festival, however, promises to be more than just a platform to see films. This year, it expands its role to offer a learning experience through an extended masterclass by Neville Tuli of Tuli Research Centre for India Studies, on cinema as a critical educational resource. 'The workshops will be especially interesting for students, academics and faculty members who are primarily interested in using the world of cinema to integrate across all other subjects with an in-depth and relatively unique interdisciplinary pedagogic approach to learning,' an organiser said. The HFF also brings back its segment dedicated to documentary and short films, with a series of innovative feminist documentaries that explore diverse, lived experiences, expressions and reflections as women, trans and queer persons. Also, on the roster are acclaimed and awarded films from the festival circuit. There's Pyre, Nukkad Natak, Beline, Dhrubor Aschorjo Jibon, Sangala, Mikka Bannada Hakki, Feminist Fathima, Victoria, and the 2024 Cannes Grand Prix awardee, All We Imagine As Light by Payal Kapadia. 'As cinema gains more traction with the onset of revolutionary technologies such as OTT, it's important to promote a culture where films aren't just watched but also understood and appreciated. The festival also aims to initiate the new generation into the art of cinema to facilitate the emergence of young, new storytellers, cinematographers, actors and directors who would further enrich both Indian and world cinema with their creativity, energy and dedication,' said KG Suresh, Director, India Habitat Centre.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Habitat Film Festival to pay tribute to Shyam Benegal, Manoj Kumar, Raj Kapoor and others
New Delhi, The 17th edition of the Habitat Film Festival will pay tribute to industry stalwarts like Shyam Benegal, Raj Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood, and Aruna Vasudev. Apart from a retrospective of Benegal, screenings of NETPAC award winning films, and Manoj Kumar's iconic film "Upkar", the film festival will showcase films in 24 Indian languages across themes of social issues that affect Indian society. The festival will begin on May 16 with a tribute to Raj Kapoor through a vibrant dastangoi performance "Dastan-e-Raj Kapoor", directed by Mahmood Farooqui, and a screening of his iconic film "Awaara". An exhibition of posters of the art of the legendary filmmaker's cinema, and a screening of a documentary on Raj Kapoor, directed by Siddharth Kak, will also mark his birth centenary year. 'Our Festival this year is significant for a host of reasons. It's the 20th year since we began, . We mourn the loss of some who have been an integral part of our journey, we celebrate 50 years of three iconic stars in Indian cinema, we pay tribute to some legends of Indian Cinema on their 100th birth anniversary year and raise a hurrah for contemporary cinema trail blazers," Vidyun Singh, creative head programmes, India Habitat Centre, said in a statement. The Shyam Benegal Retrospective will be flagged off with the screening of his first feature film "Ankur", which also marked the cinematic journey of Shabana Azmi 50 years ago. Azmi will be in conversation with renowned filmmaker Aparna Sen, who is also the subject of a documentary directed by Suman Ghosh that will be screened at the festival. The festival will highlight themes of human-environment conflict in films like "Raavsaheb" and "Sangala", gender and caste discrimination in "Swaha", "Appuram", and "Aajoor". While "Humans in the Loop" discusses AI and society, "Cinema pe Cinema" and "Behind the Scenes" turn the camera inwards and focus on the world of cinema. The HFF will also screen "Puratawn", Sharmila Tagore's Bengali comeback film, directed by Suman Ghosh. The festival will also host a series of innovative feminist documentaries that explore and visibilise diverse, lived experiences, expressions and reflections as women, trans and queer persons, including "All That We Own" by Aprajita Gupta, "Making Space" by Nikita Parikh, and "Log Kya Kahenge" by Rafina Khatun. A curated package of non-fiction films, including "Only If The Baby Cries" by Shadab Farooq, "We Are Not What We See" by Hou-hsein, and "Mic Drop" by Kallol Mukherjee. The HFF will showcase acclaimed and awarded films from across the country, including "Pyre" by Vinod Kapri, "Nukkad Natak" by Tanmaya Shekhar, "Beline" by Samik Roy Choudhury, "Dhrubor Aschorjo Jibon" by Abhijit Chowdhury, "Mikka Bannada Hakki" by Manohara, and "Feminist Fathima" by Fasil Muhammed. The much celebrated film by Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine As Light", will be screened during the film festival. "As cinema gains more traction with the onset of revolutionary technologies such as OTT, it's important to promote a culture where films aren't just watched but also understood and appreciated. The festival also aims to initiate the new generation into the art of cinema to facilitate the emergence of young, new storytellers, cinematographers, actors and directors who would further enrich both Indian and world cinema with their creativity, energy and dedication," K G Suresh, director, India Habitat Centre, said. The HFF will also observe the birth centenary years of Muhammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Tapan Sinha with discussion of books on their illustrious careers, and a screening of a Tapan Sinha film, "Ek Doctor ki Maut". The film festival will also see book discussions, workshops, exhibitions, and masterclasses. The 10-day festival will come to an end on May 25.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Khasi film feted at Moscow film festival
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: ' Ha Lyngkha Bneng ' ('The Elysian Field'), Pradip Kurbah 's Khasi film , co-written by Kolkata's Paulami Dutta with sound design and mixing engineering by Saptak Sarkar and Sayantan Ghosh, won the Best Film and Best Director award at the 47th Moscow International Film Festival . At the same festival, it was also given the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film by a jury whose president was from Kolkata. The festival had 13 films from 13 countries participating in the main competition. Spanish filmmaker Luis Miñarro awarded the Golden Saint George for the Best Film, mentioning that its title can be interpreted "as a place where superior souls meet." Jury members - director and screenwriter Aleksey German Jr and director, screenwriter, producer Cornel Gheorghita – awarded Kurbah the prize for the best director. Gheorghita said, "This is a very important film, which took me to a new level in world cinema when Sokurov, Kurosawa and Beckett came together." German added, "This is an incredibly bold film by a courageous, smart, subtle and perfectly humane director who did exactly what one shouldn't do to win at a festival – he removed all powerful narratives and themes and took people's feelings and emotions instead." You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Premendra Mazumder, the president of the NETPAC jury, said the 123-minute-long film was awarded for its philosophical expression of life and death through a "brilliant poetic visual language" enriched with "satire and humour." "The astounding poetic visuals where nature acts as a stimulant kept us engrossed from beginning to end. It is a cinematic gem from India," Mazumdar said. Kurbah, who is a self-taught director, said, "This is a small step forward for Indian independent cinema which keeps trying to tell stories from the heart, even if they are not part of the mainstream. For films from the Northeast, it's a quiet but proud moment to see that even small, personal stories from our region can find their place and be accepted by audiences across the world." The National awardee didn't follow any set technique while making the film. "Most of what I've learned has come from simply observing life — the little moments, the silences, the emotions that are often felt but not spoken. I've always believed that stories are all around us, in the everyday things we often overlook. I just tried to trust my instincts and stay true to the feelings I wanted to express. It was a very natural and organic process for me, guided more by emotion and intuition rather than anything planned," he added. Kurbah's film is set in 2047, also the year when India celebrates its centenary of independence. His Kolkata-based co-writer was born and brought up in Shillong. "We have been to movies and not to film schools. We devoted four years intermittently to finalising the first draft. This film was written during the pandemic when I was stuck in Bengaluru and Pradip-da was in Shillong," Dutta said. Set in the Khasi Hills in 2047, the six characters - Complete (Richard Kharpuri), Livingstone (Albert Mawrie), Maia (Baia Marbaniang), Friday (Jeetesh Sharma), Miss Helen (Helena Duiia) and Promise (Merlvin Mukhim) – live in a village in east Khasi Hills. "It has seen mass migration to cities and is not well connected by a motorable road, and faces intermittent power cuts. The geographical space amplifies their loneliness and loss, but the characters look for joy and embrace solitude. While one of them tries to get electricity to the village, another has found a family in a goat, and another decides to choose laughter at every place she has cried before," Dutta added. Sarkar, an alumnus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute who designed the sound with Sumir Dewri and Sayantan Ghosh, said, "The film has four seasons – spring, summer, autumn and winter. It was challenging to subtly create the soundscape for each season. Dynamizing the sonic place with only six characters was equally difficult," Sarkar said.
Gulf News
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf News
‘Bad Girl' wins NETPAC Award at Rotterdam International Film Festival
Chennai: Director Varsha Bharath's upcoming Tamil film 'Bad Girl' — whose teaser stirred up controversy, with one section of the film fraternity calling it 'bold and refreshing' while another took offence at its portrayal of a Brahmin girl — has now won the NETPAC Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival (IFFR) 2025. The NETPAC award is presented on an annual basis to a feature film from the Asia and Pacific region. The film is chosen by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema. NETPAC's mission, the festival organisers claimed, was to highlight new talents. The film selected for this award must be from one of 71 eligible countries in Asia or the Pacific Nations and Islands to be considered. It may be recalled that the teaser of the film, which was released a few days ago, triggered a controversy. Director Pa Ranjith tweeted on his X timeline, praising the film. He wrote, 'Happened to watch #BadGirl, and it's truly a bold and refreshing film! Director #VetriMaaran deserves immense credit for backing such a daring story. The film powerfully portrays women's struggles and society's expectations through a unique new wave cinema style. Congratulations #varsha. Anjali Sivaraman delivers an amazing performance—don't miss this one!' However, soon after Pa Ranjith put out this tweet, director Mohan G Kshatriyan responded to it. Quoting Pa Ranjith's tweet, he wrote, 'Portraying a Brahmin girl('s) personal life is always a bold and refreshing film for this clan. What more can be expected from Vetrimaran, Anurag Kasyap & Co.. Bashing Brahmin father and mother is old and not trendy. Try with your own caste girls and showcase it to your own family first.' This soon snowballed into a major controversy, with one section criticising the teaser and the film and another section supporting it. The film, which has been directed by Varsha Bharath, features Anjali Sivaraman, Shanthi Priya, Saranya Ravichandran, Hridhu Haroon, TeeJay Arunasalam and Sashank Bommireddipalli among others. Cinematography for the film is by Preetha Jayaraman (ISC), Jagadeesh Ravi, Prince Anderson, music is by Amit Trivedi and editing for the film is by Radha Sridhar. The film, which has been produced by ace director Vetrimaran, is presented by Vetrimaran in association with Anurag Kashyap. Sign up for the Daily Briefing Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
