New York Times (May 25, 2012)
May 25, 2012, 3:41 AM
At New York’s Indian Film Festival, a Focus on Youth
By SHIVANI VORA
Michael Toolan
The 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival opened on May 23 at the
Paris Theater in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
The 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival opened Wednesday at the
Paris Theater in Midtown Manhattan with a red carpet premier of
Bedabrata Pain’s movie “Chittagong,” followed by a dinner at the
Jumeirah Essex House on Central Park South.
The five-day showcase of 40 features, short films and documentaries is
presented by the Indo-American Arts Council, a Manhattan-based
non-profit which supports all forms of Indian-influenced art. Many of
the screenings are following by question-and-answer sessions with
filmmakers and casts.
Michael Toolan
Indian-American actor Manu Narayan at the New York Indian Film Festival.
High-profile celebrities who turned out for the debut include
Indian-American actors Manu Narayan, Ajay Naidu and Samrat Chakrabarti,
British actress Sarita Choudhury, Bollywood filmmaker Shyam Benegal and
Bollywood actor Suneil Anand, who is the son of legendary filmmaker and
actor Dev Anand.
Though the IACC doesn’t try to connect the films screened each year by
a specific theme, festival director Aseem Chhabra said that several of
the prominent ones this year have young child actors as leads. “The
commonality evolved organically,” he said.
The movie that evening, for example, is a true story set in 1930s
British India about the journey of 14-year-old Jhunku to find his place
in the tumultuous environment around him. Other films with pint-size
stars include “Bubble Gum,” a two-hour story about a teenage boy who
resents the attention his parents give his deaf older brother, and
“Gattu,” which won several prizes at the Berlin International Film
Festival earlier this year and is about a street urchin who becomes
fixated on kite flying.
Michael Toolan
Bollywood actor Suneil Anand, far left, shakes hands with Bollywood
filmmaker Shyam Benegal, far right, at the New York Indian Film
Festival.
Other highlights include a retrospective trilogy of Benegal’s classics
“Zubeida,” “Mammo” and “Sardari” and a screening of Sharmeen
Obaid-Chinoy’s Oscar winning Pakistani Short Film “Saving Face.”
But much of the excitement seemed to be around the Saturday evening
tribute to Dev Anand, who passed away in December. The commemoration
will be presented alongside a new colorized version of his 1961 hit
film, “Hum Dono Rangeen,” which is being shown outside of India for the
first time.
Mr. Anand’s son Suneil is attending the festival and told India Ink he
wanted to be on hand to support his father. “I feel elated that we are
celebrating my dad and his work, but it’s also an emotional experience
especially since he is no longer here.”
Michael Toolan
Bedabrata Pain, left, director and producer of the film “Chittagong” at
the 12th annual New York Indian Film Festival.
Opening night also was a poignant time for the Los Angeles-based
filmmaker Mr. Pain, who lost his 16-year-old son to an accident while
directing “Chittagong.” “He was the movie’s biggest supporter,” he
said. But he added that he chose to focus his story around a teenage
boy not because he is a father himself but because he believes that
India’s future lies with its youth. “The young generation today has
such a passion and confidence,” he said. “They are the ones who will
shape the India that is to come
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