San Leandro, Calif. — An intriguing documentary about
Salman Khan fans, Vishal Bhardwaj’s Bollywood Shakespeare
trilogy and two promising children’s films are among the
highlights of this year’s New York Indian Film Festival.
The NYIFF, now in its 15th year, runs May
4-9 at various venues around New York City.
Shonali Bose’s “Margarita, with a Straw” is the opening
night film (read India-West’s coverage here); while the Centerpiece film is Aparna Sen’s
“Saari Raat,” based on a three-act play by Bengali theatre
personality Badal Sircar and starring Sen’s daughter,
Konkona Sen Sharma. Festival organizers are waiting until
April 15 to announce the closing night film.
Programmer Aseem Chhabra told India-West in an e-mail that this year’s documentaries are worth a
special look, including Ravi and Geeta Patels’ “Meet the
Patels,” an award-winning comic documentary which was
recently picked up for theatrical distribution later this
year. Chhabra also recommends “Being Bhaijaan,” which
delves into the unique devotion that Salman Khan’s most
obsessed fans — most of them men from underdeveloped
corners of India — hold for the muscled Bollywood
superstar.
“I am particularly thrilled to show two children's
films — ‘Elizabeth Ekadashi’ (which I saw at the Goa Film
Bazaar) and ‘Kaakaa Muttai’ (which I saw last year at
TIFF),” said Chhabra. “Both are adorable films and as luck
would have it both won the National Award for Best
Children's Film.”
In addition to a robust lineup of live events and
audience-sourced fare (including some one-minute cell
phone films shot by NYU students), this year’s NYIFF has
curated a tribute to Vishal Bhardwaj that includes an
onstage appearance by the prolific filmmaker and
screenings of his three Shakespeare-themed Hindi films:
“Maqbool” (2004), “Omkara” (2006) and the multiple
National Award-winning “Haider” (2014).
“We are really excited that Vishal has agreed to screen
and discuss all three films in their Shakespearean context
at our festival," Indo American Arts Council artistic
director Aroon Shivdasani.
Visit http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2015 for information. |
