Page 254-265 - Pune International Film Festival

City Pride
Presents
Indian
Cinema
2016
Indian Cinema
Cinemawala
Cinemawala
2015 - 105’- Bengali - Colour - India
Director: Kaushik Ganguly
Producer: Shrikant Mohta
Cast: Paran Bandopadhyay, Parambrata Chatterjee, Arun
Guha Thakurta, Lama Halder, Sohini Sarkar.
Screenplay: Kaushik Ganguly
Cinematographer: Soumik Halder
Editor: Subhojit Singha
Music Composer: Indraadip Dasgupta
Production Company: Shree Venkatesh films
World Sales Address: Shrikant Mohta & Mahendra Soni,
Shree Venkatesh Films Pvt. Ltd., 6 Waterloo Street,
Kolkata - 700069
World Sales Phone: 033 30927600
World Sales Email: ravi@venkateshfilms.com
Festival/Awards:
Cinemawala is about a father-son relationship set against the backdrop of the fastvanishing single-screen theatres in West Bengal. Pranb, a retired film exhibitor, has always
maintained himself as a true 'Cinemawala', whereas, his son, Prakash is an opportunist
who has no qualms about selling pirated DVDs of feature films in town.
Director’s Biography
Kaushik Ganguly is an Indian director, screenwriter and actor in Bengali
cinema. He is eminent filmmaker who has garnered critical acclaim for
his feature films and national Award-winning 'Shobdo'. He is known for
his works that explore sexuality, like Ushnatar Janye (2003), which deals
with a lesbian relationship, and Arekti Premer Golpo (2010), which
examines transgender identity.
244
Winner of UNESCO Fellini award at the 46th International
Film Festival of India 2015
Director’s Filmography
Khaad (2014)
Shabdo (2013)
Apur Panchali (2013)
Laptop (2012)
Rang Milanti (2011)
2016
Indian Cinema
Song Of The Horned Owl
Dau Huduni Methai
2015 - 78’- Bodo - Colour - India
Director: Manju Borah
Producer: Shankar Lall Goenka
Cast: Reshma Mushahary, Jasmine Hazowary, Ahalya
Daimary, Nita Basumatary, Ajay Kumar Boro
Screenplay: Manju Borah
Cinematographer: Sudheer Palsane
Editor: A. Sreekar Prasad
Music Composer: Aniruddha Borah
Production Company: Shiven Arts
World Sales Address: Shri Shankar Lall Goenka, Shiven
Arts, Goenka Enterprises, Kelvin Cinema Compound, SRCB
Road, Takobari, Guwahati
World Sales Phone: +9403612515518
World Sales Email: goenkaent@hotmail.com
Festival/Awards:
The film is based on the sufferings of innocent Bodo villagers because of rampant
militancy and violence. Insurgency related fatalities have grown to an alarming number in
the North-Eastern Region of India over the past 35 years. The majority of victims are
common folk who have nothing to do with either side and the film recounts the effects of
the violence through the perspective of Raimali, a young rape victim.
International Film Festival of India, Goa 2015
Director’s Biography
Manju Borah is a multiple international and national award-winning
Indian female film director and short story writer from Guwahati, Assam.
Her films explores the region's culture and its impact on the person and
society as a whole. She has been awarded the Woman of Excellence
Award by FICCI for her outstanding contribution to the field of Film &
Entrepreneurship (2009). Manju also served as Jury Member, Indian
Panorama, IFFI 2007, 10th MAMI International Film Festival 2008 and
3rd Eye 7th Asian Film Festival Mumbai 2008, 55th National Film Awards
for 2007 (Feature Films) Delhi 2009.
Director’s Filmography
Ko: Yaad (2012)
Aai Kot Nai (2008)
Laaz (2004)
Anya Ek Yatra (2001)
Baibhab (1999)
245
2016
Indian Cinema
The spark
Firingoti
1992 - 116’- Assamese - Colour - India
Director: Jahnu Barua
Producer: Sailadhar Baruah
Cast: Bishnu Kharghoria, Moloya Goswami, Chetana Das,
Hemen Choudhury
Screenplay: Jahnu Barua
Cinematographer: Anoop Jotwani
Editor: Heu-en Baruah, Ranjit Das
Music Composer: Satya Baruah
World Sales Address: Dolphin Films Pvt. Ltd
Festival/Awards:
National Film Award – Second Best Feature Film
National Film Award - Best Actress : Moloya Goswami
The story is set in 1962, the time of Sino-India war. It revolves around a widowed teacher
named Ritu who is transferred to Koronga, a small Assamese village. The school here was
destroyed by fire ten years earlier. Ritu takes on the challenge of rebuilding the school and
starts campaigning among the villager. Ritu manages to build a school. It starts functioning
under a large village-tree. Then comes a supposedly 'son of the soil' who, having lost his
job there, wants to take over the school. When Ritu fights back against the threats and
even physical assault, the man brings his ruffian friends and sets fire to the school house.
She has to return with a heavy heart. However she is comforted by the promise of the
inhabitants of reconstructing the school so that no one can suppress the spark of
knowledge.
Director’s Biography
Jahnu Barua is one of the most brilliant among contemporary Indian
filmmakers. He is closely associated with Assamese Seventh Art. Jahnu
Barua is the first Assamese director to interpret onscreen the connection
between politics and social and cultural events with an aim of bringing
awareness to the public. He adopts generally a direct style, which serves
the levelheaded development of the narrative. He has made several
films in Assamese and Hindi. His films are marked by a humanistic vision.
Jahnu Barua's films are critically acclaimed in India.
246
Director’s Filmography
Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005)
Bonani (1995)
Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (1987)
2016
Indian Cinema
Lens
Lens
2015 - 109’- English - Colour - India
Director: Jayprakash Radhakrishnan
Producer: Jayprakash Radhakrishnan
Cast: Jayprakash Radhakrishnan
Screenplay: Jayprakash Radhakrishnan
Cinematographer: S. R. Kathir
Music Composer: Siddharth Vipin
Lens has the distinction of being a multi-lingual film — its characters speak in as many as
four languages. Seventy per cent of the story is about the Skype interaction between two
characters from different backgrounds. The characters switch between accented English,
Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam just like we speak in real life."Lens" focuses on Aravind and his
online friend "Nikky" who predominantly interacted via video chat. They take voyeurism
to the next level, when Nikki asks Aravind to watch her commit suicide.
Director’s Biography
Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan is a director and actor, known for Lens
(2015).He is a software engineer, who moved to India from the U.S. to
pursue cinema.
Director’s Filmography
Lens (2015)
247
2016
Life In Metaphors : A Portrait Of Girish Kasaravalli
Life In Metaphors : A Portrait Of Girish Kasaravalli
2015 - 84’- English- Colour - India
Indian Cinema
Director: O P Srivastava
Producer: O P Srivastava (co-producer)
Screenplay: O P Srivastava
Cinematographer: G.S. Bhaskar
Editor: Monisha R Baldawa
Sound Designer: Monisha R Baldawa (sound editor)
Girish Kasaravalli is an internationally renowned Indian filmmaker, who has made highly
acclaimed films such as Ghatashraddha, Thai Saheba, Dweepa and Gulabi Talkies. All of his
films are rooted in local culture and yet these films have travelled beyond the bounderies
and have been hugely appreciated as “world cinema”. A down-to-earth approach to
filmmaking has earned him the reputation of creating unique langaugae of cinema, which
excels in 'culturing realism'. Life in Metaphors journeys into the world of the master
filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli with an urge to understand the language, grammar and the
core purpose of story telling through the medium of cinema.
Director’s Biography
248
Director’s Filmography
O P Srivastava is an Indian director and producer. He has produced
Life in Metaphors: A Portrait of Girish Kasaravalli
documentaries.
Few Days More
2016
I Am Not A He, But She
Naanu Avanalla...Avalu
2015 - 105’ - Kannada - Colour - India
Indian Cinema
Director: B. S. Lingadevaru
Producer: Ravi R. Garani
Cast: Sanchari Vijay, Sumithra, Kunal Punekar, Sundar
Screenplay: Living Smile Vidya, B. S. Lingadevaru
Cinematographer: Ashok V. Raman
Editor: Nagendra K. Ujjani
Music Composer: Anoop Seelin
Production Company: RG Pictures
Festival/Awards:
62nd National Film Awards
National Film Award for Best Actor — Sanchari Vijay
National Film Award for Best Make-up Artist
International Film Festival India, Goa - 2015
The film narrates the story of Madesha, A boy from the rural parts of Karnataka, who
believes that he is a woman trapped in a body of a man despite innumerable obstacles
placed in his way by family and society, he leaves his home in a bid to change his gender.
The film traces his journey as he becomes 'Vidya' who then has to discover her own
identity and fight against all odds to lead a dignified life.
Director’s Biography
B S Lingadevaru is a state and national Award-winning film producer,
actor and director. His interest lies firmly in the field of film-making,
where he can explore the possibilities of lateral presentation of stories
through visual media.
Director’s Filmography
Mouni (2003)
249
2016
Like a Play
Natoker Moto
2015 - 121’ - Bengali - Colour - India
Indian Cinema
Director: Debesh Chatterjee
Producer: Firdousul Hassan, Probal Haldar
Cast: Paoli Dam, Rupa Ganguly, Rajatava Dutta, Bratya
Basu, Ushasie Chakraborty
Screenplay: Debesh Chatterjee
Cinematographer: Indranil Mukherjee
Editor: Bodhaditya Banerjee
Music Composer: Bodhaditya Bannerjee
Production Company: Friend's Communication
Journey of a Kheya, a female theatre artist and her multi-dimensional conflicting
experience as a girl, as a woman and even as an artist. Whilst the film depicts the scenario
of Kolkata socio-cultural circuit spanning from 1950 to 1970s, it aspires to bring about the
struggles and conflicts that a female artist has to go through even after two decades of
globalization. The film, through an investigation of sudden demise of an extremely
reputed actress' death delves into an ongoing search behind the causes of ceaseless
conflicts that a female artist has to confront, and is made to remain submissive in the
paradigm of male domination. The film intends to get into precise details of the artist's life
so as to expose the obstructions, understand the strength of creative aspirations, and to
ablaze with the delightful journey of the artistic soul that unfortunately got cut short.
Director’s Biography
Debesh Chatterjee is an actor and director. Debesh Chatterjee associated
himself with theatre since 1984, when he was only 18. From 1989 in
Shilpayan he started his career as a fulltime theatre worker and theatre
educationist. He worked in productions like Ballabhpurer Roopkatha
(Play: Badal Sircar), Raktakarabi (Rabindranath Tagore), Mareech
Sambad (Play : Arun Mukhopadhyay), GrihaYuddha (Buddhadev
Dasgupta ) etc.
250
Director’s Filmography
Bapi Bari Jaa (2012)
Chaplin (2011)
2016
Indian Cinema
The Mail Runner-1854
Ottathoodhuvan 1854
2015 - 124’ - Tamil - Colour - India
Director: Chidambaram
Producer: Ram Arun Castro
Cast: Ram Arun Castro, Gowthami Chowdhry, Nikolas,
Jayaprakash, Kulothungan, Senthil, Pradeep, John
Christopher
Cinematographer: Philip R. Sunder
Editor: C.S. Prem
Sound Designer: Pawan
Production Company: Kalorful Beta Movement, E-1,
Sahithyam Flats, 364, Church road, Mogappair-east,
Chennai-600037
Festival/Awards:
21st Kolkata International Film Festival
13th Chennai International Film Festival
Madeshwaran (Protagonist) works as a Mail Runner under the British East India Company. A
Newly appointed British Post Officer comes to Easan Malai to investigate his father's death
who went missing 20yrs back. He finds the document which was the reason behind his
father's death. Soon he sends it through Madeshwaran, his most trusted Mail runner. But,
the protagonist comes to know that delivering the document will destroy his homeland.
What is he going to do with the document? The story is set in the year 1854 when India was
under British East India Company rule. It was shot in the hilly regions of Tamil Nadu (South
India).
Director’s Biography
Chidambaram is a freelance Journalist in Tamil Magazines. He is a voracious
reader of Tamil Novels and has even published two Tamil novels in his
publication name Rasin. He has assisted many Tamil directors for the last 15
years in the Industry. He has keen interest in our History and this movie is
also based on a historical Character. It took him 2 years to complete the
script of Oattathoodhuvan-1854. He completed the project in 1 year with 6
months of preproduction.
Director’s Filmography
Ottathoodhuvan 1854 (2015)
251
2016
Indian Cinema
Ottaal
Ottaal
2014 - 90’- Malyayam - Colour - India
Director: Jayaraj Rajshekhran Nair
Producer: K Mohan (Seven Arts Mohan), Vinod Vijayan
Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Kumarakaom Vasudevan, Master
Ashanath K Sha
Screenplay: Joshy Mangalnath
Cinematography: M. J.Radhakrishnan
Editor: B Ajithkumar
Music Composer: Kavalam Narayana Panicker
Production Company: Director Cutz Film Company Pvt.
Ltd.
World Sales Address: Director Cutz Film Company Pvt. Ltd.
Festival/Awards:
nd
Ottaal (The Trap) is an adaptation of one of Anon Chekhov’s timeless works, Vanka.
Although located in the 18th century, the story has travelled in time and space to be retold
in the present day at a small village in South India.
Director’s Biography
Jayaraj is an Indian film-maker who has directed over 35 films, in four
languages. His work has been critically acclaimed and awarded, in 1977
his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello won him the National award for
Best director.
62 National film awards (Best film on Environmental
Conservation)
Kerala film Critics Award (2015)
Mumbai Film Festival
Director’s Filmography
Pakarnnattam (2012)
Loudspeaker (2009)
Gulmohar (2008)
Adbhutam (2006)
Daivanamathil (2005)
Makalkku (2005)
4 the People (2004)
252
2016
Priyamanasam
Priyamanasam
2015 - 110’- Sanskrit - Colour - India
Indian Cinema
Director: Vinod Mankara
Producer: Soma Creations
Cast: Rajesh Hebbar, Pratheksha Kashi, Meera Sreenarayan,
Rachana Narayankutty
Screenplay: Vinod Mankara
Cinematographer: Sambu Sarma
Editor: Hashim
Festival/Awards:
46th International Film Festival of India, Goa
Priyamanasam focuses on one of the greatest poets who lived in Kerala during the late –
17th century, Unnayi Warrier and masterpiece, Nalacharitham Attakadha. After
completing his masterpiece Unnayi wants to float away with no commitments and
bindings. But he realizes that getting rid of his characters from his mind is impossible. The
creator cannot separate himself from the creation.
Director’s Biography
Vinod Mankara is a journalist, writer, lyricist and filmmaker. He holds the
world record to for having made 650 documentaries. He has won
multiple Kerla State Government awards for his documentaries.
Director’s Filmography
Priyamanasam (2015)
253
2016
Radio Set
Radiopetti
2015 - 83’- Tamil - Colour - India
Indian Cinema
Director: Hari Viswanath
Producer: Harry Toonz Studio
Cast: Lakshmanan, TVV Ramanujam, Shobana Mohan, Nivas
Adithan
Screenplay: Hari Vishwanath
Cinematographer: Saravanan Natrajan
Editor: Venkatram Mohan
Sound Designer: Tapas Nayak
Music Composer: Richard Ford
Production Designer: Suresh Selvarajan
Festival/Awards:
th
46 International Film Festival of India, Goa
Radiopetti is the story of a 70 year old man, Arunachalam, who finds solace in his past,
especially when listening to musical melodies of his younger days on vintage radio set that
his father gave him. One day he is forced to choose between his family and his music,
knowing he will lose one forever. He is now being torn apart what will he choose? And will
he survive his sacrifice?
Director’s Biography
Hari Viswanath is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer. He
is an Engineer turned Filmmaker from Chennai, India. Inspired by real life
incidents, he wrote and directed his debut short film ‘Idukkan’
(sufferings) which won the “Best short film award” in Norway Tamil Film
Festival 2013. Ever since he has been actively directing films and writing
stories close to his heart.
254
Director’s Filmography
Pesum Virus (2013)
Idukkan (2012)