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.