Konkona Sen Sharma IFFM masterclass 9 May 2014

Konkona Sen Sharma at the lectern.

The first question you'll hear when a new face appears in Indian cinema is not "How's her acting?" but "Who's her parents?" 'Royalty' is probably the most accurate way to describe the handful of families who've dominated Indian movie screens for 100 years, the most famous being the Kapoors of Bollywood, and it's rare that a child born into such fame doesn't milk their family's fame for all its worth -- often to the detriment of movie audiences made to watch untalented progeny prove the limitationss of genetics.

Which makes Konkona Sen Sharma, who presented an Indian Film Festival of Melbourne masterclass last night entitled 'Arthouse vs Mainstream', a freak.

A wonderfully candid, bold and humble freak.

During an hour-long presentation that she insisted was not a 'lecture' but a recounting of her 34-year-old life's journey, the diminutive Konkona described an almost accidental rise to fame that could have easily seen her land in in "shallow and urbans" professions like advertising or journalism. Despite her mom being Bengali cinema legend Arparna Sen -- and despite making her film debut at the age of three (as a boy, no less) -- Konkona was at first apathetic about the opportunities provided by her lineage. She took film roles while in college more out of detriment to family friends than drive. Her first Bengali mainstream film was based on a "spectacularly bad" Hollywood film that eventually proved valuable in unexpected fashion: Konkona began to feel sorry for her character, discovering the importance of empathy when preparing for roles that are otherwise "best forgotten".

It was after dropping out of a "depressing" MA program that Konkona's acting career took off, beginning with 2002's 'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer'. Konkona revealed that her mom, who directed it, "tricked" her into taking the film's lead role, but she subsequently "really enjoyed the experience" of making it. The film was a major critical success and led to Konkona receiving a National Film Award for Best Actress. It was at this time she learned another important lesson: The more detached an actor is from a film set, the better his/her performance.

'Mr. and Mrs. Iyer' also set the template for Konkona's career: Finely crafted and critically acclaimed 'small films' with little starpower and, therefore, smaller production budgets. Konkona summed up the resulting wisdom as "life is hard when you make unconventional choices", a lesson she's no doubt had re-instilled across her 40+ films career. Halfway through the presentation I couldn't help but be amazed at how Konkona's film career was the very embodiment of a 'Arthouse vs Mainstream' masterclass, and how radical she must be received by peers for calling her Bengali films her "real children" (vs the others' "stepchildren") in an industry more obsessed with overnight box office receipts than quality cinema.

Especially refreshing in an industry rife with agent-mandated humility was the way Konkona described how doing a mix of arthouse/mainstream, Hindi/Bengali films was an "holistic experience". Coming from another actor's mouth these words could be met with skepticism but Konkona's obvious passion for creating an individual niche and following her own heart, whatever the cost, couldn't be denied.

I wish her luck on her continuing journey. And hope like hell she ends up in a director's chair and attains the power to share her vision WITHOUT COMPROMISE.

IFFM Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange with Konkona during a vibrant Q&A.

Telstra Bollywood Dance Comp @ Fed Square, 4 May 2014

Grey skies and rain couldn't dampen the high spirits of dancers, spectators and judges at yesterday's Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition at Fed Square. The event is a signature part of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, which is on through May 11th.

Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange served as MC for the event. 

Dancers who've already performed watch the competition.

This year's judges: Avtar Panesar, VP of Int'l Operations at Yash Raj Films; Indian dance icon Malaika Arora Khan; 'Dhoom 3' director Vijay Krishna Acharya.

Grey skies threatened. It's May in Melbourne. No way around it.

This looks like the poster for an action movie called 'THE JUDGES'.

Malaika's stunning.

Malaika announces the first winner, a lovely girl named Sanjana.

Sanjana onstage with Mitu and the judges.

Classical dancer Elise Ford-Watson was another winner.

Top prize winners Sapphire Dance and Shiamak Davar Academy join the judges.

A masterclass on IFFM Masterclasses

There's an expression in the States used to measure a professional athlete's ability to increase his/her team's attendance: "Do they put butts in seats?"

In the world of film festivals -- and nearly everything else entertainment-related -- celebrities put butts in seats. Movie stars, especially.

This year's Indian Film Festival of Melbourne has thus far had no shortage of glamour. Amitabh Bachchan, Kangana Ranaut, Simi Garewal and Malaika Arora Khan have drawn crowds and cheers wherever they've traveled in and around Melbourne, and for good reason. There's something unquestionably magical about seeing a face from the big screen in person, and I count myself as lucky for having seen all these people up close.

But I'm going to let you in on a secret: IFFM's most unique experiences occur during masterclasses.

As a matter of fact, I can unequivocally state that attending Kabir Khan's masterclass at IFFM 2013 on going from fact to fiction reverberated in my brain for weeks afterwards. Not due to Kabir's showmanship -- he belongs behind a camera, not before it -- but his generous sharing of knowledge gained in an industry he now sits atop. As I wrote last year: "As is the case with most creatives, given a microphone in a roomful of people who shared his passion for filmmaking he was soon off to the races discussing his history in the industry." Hearing Kabir humbly describe the personal journey that became 'Kabul Express' and the making of super-hit 'Ek Tha Tiger' was priceless. That he was doing it for an intimate crowd of mostly budding filmmakers in Australia was remarkable.

While it was more of a presentation than masterclass, Simi Garewal's discussion of the evolution of women in Indian cinema at the Univ of Melbourne was memorable for Simi's poise and perspective on an industry she's been part of for over 40 years. She spoke in the more formal setting of a lecture hall but kept the packed room rapt with examples of Indian cinema's often deplorable depiction of women. She also displayed a diplomat's patience when peppered with personal questions, a skill no doubt honed by decades of living a life beneath a Bollywood microscope.

This year's masterclasses are especially appealing to me. I've spent the past few years researching and writing a screenplay involving my wife's Indo-Fijian family and have wrestled with the multi-lingual dialogue issues. I'm therefore eager to attend tonight's 'Power of Dialogue' masterclass by Suhasini Maniratnam, who hails from South India and has penned dialogues in three languages in almost 100 films. After seeing box office hit '2 States', which details the cultural struggles of a couple from Chennai (south) and Delhi (north), it seems Indian cinema may be opening to films whose characters speak in multiple languages. Or, not. Perhaps that's a question for Suhasini ......

The other masterclass is FREE and called 'Arthouse vs Mainstream'. Like Simi's presentation it's being held at the Univ of Melbourne (Friday, 9 May @ 6:00pm) and features Konkona Sen Sharma, who's won a National Film Award and is considered a leading actress of contemporary parallel cinema.

You should be at both. I know I will.

IFFM Awards Night @ Princess Theatre 2 May 2014

Looking out over a packed house at Melbourne's Princess Theatre Friday night, John Molloy, co-director of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, described a challenge issued by Simi Garewal at the conclusion of last year's IFFM. Simi, who's worn many hats during her 50-year-career in Indian film and TV and is a member of the IFFM's advisory board, acknowledged the growth of the festival but wanted to know, in effect, 'Now what?' John let it slip to being "terrified" of the elegant 'Lady in White' but understood that the festival did, in fact, need to take another big step. But how? Where to? What was next?

Those of us in attendance at the inaugural Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night knew exactly what Simi's challenge wrought: A rousing evening that paid tribute to the best of Bollywood and Melbourne's vibrant Indian culture.

And gave grown men and women a chance to holler for attention at the always dignified Amitabh Bachchan . (More on that in a future blog post.)

Here's a chronological look at the night's highlights:

Aradhna and I had seats in the middle of the 4th row, which put us 3 rows behind Mr Bachchan and in the middle of pre-show hubbub. Going clockwise: Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange greeting VIPs; an unintentional yet strangely appropriate shot of Mr Bachchan entering the theatre via a side door; a Christian Dior-attired Kangana Ranaut standing beside a seated Ted Baillieu (former Victorian premier); Mr Bachchan taking his seat in the dark to thunderous shouting and applause; women looking radiant in saris; the view of Mr Bachchan from my seat.

After a bit of comedy from MC Jehan Ratnatunga, Raina Devi Sundaram and Govind Pillai of Karma Dance made traditional Indian dance look like an Olympic event.

Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange.

Short film competition judges Vijay Acharya and Paul Cox. Vijay had announced the winners, Abhishek Verma's 'Chasni' and Don Percy's 'Makeover' at a morning press conference. Cox prefaced his remarks by saying tongue in cheek that he'd just returned from filming in the subcontinent and that it "feels like India is taking over the world." He also said Indian cinema "makes you believe in film again." Amen, Mr Cox.

Director Don Percy accepts his award for 'Makeover' from Monica Khanna of Western Union, sponsor of the short film competition. 'Chasni' director Abhishek Verma is based in India and couldn't accept his award in person.

Alistair Park of IFFM sponsor Telstra (he's the -- surprise! -- tall white guy in this photo) presents 'Dhoom 3' producers Vijay Acharya, Avtar Panesar and their colleagues with the People's Choice Award for highest grossing Indian film in Australia for 2013. Dhoom 3 earned $1.7 million.

In what was a recurring theme of the evening, Vijay Acharya addressed Mr Bachchan directly while accepting his award. He referred to Big B as the "original Vijay", and said the Indian cinema legend is the reason he chose a career in film.

Melbourne's Bombay Royale provided funky and exceptionally fashionable entertainment.

Introducing the awards portion of the night, festival co-director John Molloy describes the upside to being terrified by Simi Garewal.

Director Ritesh Batra accepts Best Indie Film award for 'The Lunch Box'.

Class act Farhan Akhtar, who won Best Actor for his superhuman (literally -- take a look at the guy's torso) performance in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', sent a video acceptance speech.

Kangana Ranaut takes the stage after winning Best Actress for 'Queen'.

The camera loves Kangana.

Kangana presents Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra with a Best Director award for 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'.

Not surprisingly, 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' captured Best Film, too.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had every right to give the night's longest speeches: he'd flown from the IIFA Awards in Tampa, Florida to accept his awards for 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' and had to leave immediately for India afterwards. In my opinion, that reflects the personal connection Mitu's made with the Indian cinema community.

Love this photo of Mitu watching from the wings.

A dance troupe from Shiamak gave a performance especially designed for Mr Bachchan. He later said he was glad dancers like this weren't around when he was a young man -- he didn't think he could mimic their hip movements.

Simi Garewal asked "How do you dissect a legend?" at the start of her introduction of Amitabh Bachchan and was rewarded with a roar when she admitted, "When he's on screen I can't look at anyone else." Simi nearly brought the house down when she concluded by saying, "There are actors. There are stars. And there is Amitabh Bachchan!"

Mr Bachchan strides to the podium.

He accepts International Screen Icon Award from Victorian parliament member Heidi Victoria.

As he did at the night before prior to a screening of 'Sholay 3D', Mr Bachchan recited a dialogue from 'Kabhi Kabhie' (see video below).

Mitu explained how she'd experienced the best morning of her life when LaTrobe University presented an Indian student with an annual scholarship worth $200K in Mr Bachchan's honour.

Even in shadows, Mr Bachchan looms large.

Realising everyone in the room was lusting for a photo with Big B, Mitu gathered everyone back on stage and had photographers take shots with the crowd in the background.

A man of such dignity shouldn't be bombarded by shouts from boorish 'fans' seeking his attention.

Mr Bachchan taking a selfie.

Check out Ritesh Batra snapping Mr Bachchan's photo.

Bombay Royale closed out the night in style.