If I had time to Photoshop I'd put Mitu's face on the choo-choo.
A lot of important things were discussed at Wednesday's program launch of the 2015 Indian Film Festival Melbourne (IFFM). Themes of freedom and equality in Indian cinema, the revolutionary 'girl power' displayed in the animated Burka Avenger series out of Pakistan, Bollywood's role in the transformation of Indian society, even the predictably polarising subject of sexuality on the big screen.
What struck me throughout the afternoon press conference at the Consulate General of India, however, was the impossible task Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange and her trailblazing team at Mind Blowing Films faced this year. Last year's IFFM boasted the most beloved star in the Indian universe, Amitabh Bachchan. Even today that sentence beggars belief. Did Bollywood superstar and Indian demi-god Amitabh Bachchan really come to Melbourne last year and participate in a variety of IFFM events, the finale being his appearance at the first-ever IFFM Awards in front of a packed and rapturous Princess Theatre? Did that actually happen?
Yeah, it did. And it was life-changing for all involved.
Time marches inexorably on, of course, and I imagine Mitu & Co. were daunted by the task of starting from scratch and gearing up for 2015's followup. But, like the words of the Little Engine That Could every American kid has programmed into his/her head -- "I think I can, I think I can ..." -- Mitu and her colleagues have pushed aside the weight of heightened expectations and delivered a festival bound to resonate in Australia, India and beyond.
Again.
Madhabi Mukherjee in Satyajit Ray's 'Charulata'
I'll be posting more in the coming weeks about 2015 IFFM offerings before it kicks off Friday 14 August with a screening of Prashant Nair's Umrika, a World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award winner at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. (Festival tickets go on sale 15 July.) As mentioned, Wednesday's press conference was held at the Indian Consulate on leafy St Kilda Road. No glitz, no glam, introduced eloquently by Consul General Manika Jain, the highlight for most was the magnitude of starpower coming to Melbourne: Anil Kapoor and his daughter Sonam, Kangana Ranaut, Imran Khan, Simi Garewal, Rajkumar Hirani and many others.
If those names mean nothing to you, here's a quick primer: Anil Kapoor's an East/West acting legend who's been a household name in India for 30 years. Sonam Kapoor's an actress on the rise whose fashion-sense lands her on magazine covers and outspokenness gives entertainment industry writers bahut headlines. Kangana Ranaut, an attendee of last year's festival, starred in one of 2014's biggest hits (Queen) and the 2015 blockbuster Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Imran Khan's a heart-throb who hails from Bollywood royalty (he's the nephew of Aamir Khan, a genius whose work you REALLY ought to know). Simi Garewal's a living legend who's been a radiant presence at the last two IFFMs. Rajkumar Hirani is back as well. He's only a writer/director with a string of box office success unmatched by anyone. Anywhere. In any market.
Kangana at IFFM 2014.
A truly astounding collection of talent and celebrity. And that's only a small pool of people on their way to Melbourne next month.
Living in Australia means finding many products, services, destinations and just about everything else claiming to be the 'Southern Hemisphere's greatest ...' but what we enjoy in Melbourne every year is verifiably the Southern Hemisphere's greatest annual celebration of Indian cinema.
For 2015, here's verification:
An opening weekend that intentionally coincides with Indian Independence Day on 15 August. Both the Consul General and Mitu were especially proud to announce a flag-raising ceremony will be held at Federation Square to mark the occasion, followed by the always popular Bollywood dance competition.
An equality theme with real, actual teeth: Films and documentaries deemed too controversial to be screened in India on gay and transgender issues, acid attacks on women, and religious charlatans, as perfectly satirised in Aamir Khan's PK.
Screenings of blockbuster Bollywood films that defy East/West categorisation ... they're simply great films. In other words: They're safe for white people! You'll love 'em!
The usual mix of arthouse and indie films that consistently exceed expectations and nearly always teach this child of the West as much as they entertain.
Films from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and other parts of the world where people live and love and lose and have stories worth sharing.
A showcase of India's greatest films, including screenings of digitally remaster classics by legendary Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
I look forward to snapping photos of Anil Kapoor standing both in the flesh and in closer proximity to Mitu next month.
Press conference crowd.
As always, I was struck by Mitu's ability to teach as well as promote. She wears her passion for all things Indian cinema on her sleeve but it's the wisdom behind her passion that lingers.
I was privileged to see a preview of Piku on Monday, four days before its worldwide release, courtesy of Mitu Bhowmick Lange and her team at Mind Blowing Films. I enjoyed it and left the cinema thinking it would be an easy write-up, that finding a hook for Western filmgoers would be a breeze.
Only it wasn't.
There were basics. Piku is an actor-dominated film, in this case three of Indian cinema's finest: Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan. It's refreshingly, brutally honest, a rarity among commercial films. Director Shoojit Sircar does a phenomenal job portraying a peculiar father-daughter relationship without the usual sappy cliches. His depictions of family interplay, usually over meals, made me think of similar scenes in Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy and the brilliant Modern Family tv show.
A lovely film, a heartwarming film, a unique film ... accurate labels, but cheap superlatives. What context could make this film properly vibrate with a Western audience? I was drawing a blank.
The success of Marvel's Avengers franchise and its many spinoffs is attributed by some to multi-million dollar CGI budgets and villians bent on global annihilation that automatically draw an international audience. It's a tried and true formula employed by many but few enjoy box office numbers like the Avengers. Its phenomenal success, to me anyway, stems from two qualities that stray from the 'How much shit can we blow up in 90 minutes?' formula:
1) a star-studded cast
2) a collection of extraordinarily gifted heroes who relate to each other in the most casually human of ways
First, the cast. Robert Downey jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth et al. are marquee names that studios trust to open films on their own, much less as members of an ensemble cast in exceptionally tight-fitting outfits. Second, the interplay between these characters cleverly relies on simple glances, warmth and humour to connect them to an audience, regardless of the often ridiculous scenarios they're fighting through. Even the best CGI descends into a series of cartoons if nothing in between touches a nerve, and the talented actors who comprise the Avengers rise above their high-concept surroundings to do that more often than you 'd expect. Heroes with genuine humanity resonate long after cities are smoldering and villians are banished and a premise for the next sequel has been revealed at the end of the credits. They need to make us care.
In Indian cinema, the trio of Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan has just as much if not more gravitas than the cast of the Avengers. There is no greater star in Indian cinema's long history than Mr. Bachchan, a 72-year-old who's nonetheless appeared in a staggering 36 films in the past 10 years alone. He's also hosted six seasons of Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who Will Become a Millionaire, popularly known as KBC), a wildly popular Indian TV show, in that span. All this from a man who reached legendary status in India before the 1990s. And when I say legendary, I mean bloody legendary: When Amit-ji was injured doing his own stunt during the filming of a fight scene in 1982, thousands converged on his hospital and prayed for his recovery. Cut to present day and hundreds flock every Sunday to his home in Mumbai, hoping for a glimpse of/wave from one of the most famous men on earth.
The man's not a hero: He's a god. Which, in the Marvel universe, would make him Thor. But over the course of Piku, Mr Bachchan's Bashkor Banerjee transforms instantly from a rumpled, sweater-wearing, bespectacled, mild-mannered man to a nearly unrecognisable monster, capable of wreaking havoc with little effort or regret.
Which makes him, in fact, Bruce Banner/Hulk. A constipated Hulk, no less. (Let that roll around your imagination). He hurls abuse and offers support to his caretaker daughter in equal measure, all the while consumed by his body's self-defeating tendencies. Bachchan's Babu destroys without hesitation but deep down you know he wants to protect his daughter -- but to do so requires defeating his own nature.
Piku
Deepika Padukone is simply the most dynamic actor in Bollywood at the moment. She shifts from sensuous item girl to independent film heroine with ease. Only eight years removed from her breakthrough role in the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Om Shanti Om, the 29-year-old makes actors around her better by absorbing light rather than reflecting it, never overshadowing but always self-assured. Deepika's astounding natural beauty would make her easy to write off but Piku and 2014's Finding Fanny find her eschewing the glamour every Indian actress must wantonly project if she wants to be cast as anything but a suffering wife or insufferable mother. Not all of her films have been blockbusters but she's yet to sell herself short, and in Piku she's created a modern heroine that by the film's end you wish you'd gotten to know better.
The name of Deepika's character is the name of the film because everything that happens in the film flows through her. Her father's pain, misery, and love; her family's heartache over the prospect of selling their ancestral home in Kolkata; and the growing interest of Irrfan's character Rana all get processed by her multi-tasking, high-strung mind. She's confident and successful but ultimately unsatisfied.
She's Tony Stark/Ironman. The dark intellect of every scene she's in. Stark's best lines often come when all we see are his eyes and digital jibberish inside Ironman's helmet. Likewise, Deepika's eyes are powerful enough to convey ... well ... anything, everything or nothing at all. I found myself watching her eyes when I should have been reading subtitles. Not for the first time in one of her films.
Rana and Babu.
Irrfan Khan can't match the legendary status of Mr Bachchan or recent box office success of Deepika but I think he's the most natural actor of the trio. All the characters I've seen him play are old souls, whether it's an unflinching police inspector in Slumdog Millionaire or besotted office worker in The Lunchbox. The versatile 48-year-old's been in dozens of films and TV shows during a career that's included roles in several Western production and have allowed him to unleash a pair of eyeballs even more evocative than Deepika's. Like Ms. Padukone, Irrfan makes fellow actors better by infusing his presence on screen, whether spilling his guts or staring out to sea, with a billion human emotions in the blink of a hypnotising eye. Rana, his character in Piku, is a man burdened by family and failed expectations who delivers truth to Babu and Piku at the same measured pace he delivers them from Delhi to Kolkata in one of his company's vehicles.
Rana is Thor. He brings an otherworldly perspective to the daily battle of wills between a father-daughter duo that calls on reservoirs of superhuman patience and strength. Rana is a subdued voice among attention seekers and when he does blow (with a mighty 'CHUP!') it's momentous. He wields a hammer of simple normalcy and knows when to use it, judiciously and with a grin.
I fear comparing an Indian family drama with a comic book blockbuster gives an impression of folly -- of course a strict comparison of them is silly -- so here's the serious bit. Piku represents a once-in-a-generation assemblage of talent that benefits from a director wise enough to understand the forces at his command. One need not understand Bengali to appreciate the nuances of often frantic dialogues that reveal a plain, complicated and very modern Indian family. I loved Age of Ultron and am a fan of director Joss Whedon but there's no need to see that film again until it's out on DVD and need to shut my brain off for two hours 20 minutes. Piku is a film I look forward to seeing again this week because I want to revisit the company of Babu, Piku and Rana, and marvel at the depth of their deliverers.
Piku is a special film about ordinary people dealing with shit. (Yes, literally.) No aliens, no doomsday machines, no apocalyptic showdowns. Just the very things we face every day in the struggle to lead satisfying lives before we die. Which is a helluva lot harder to depict than a wiseguy in an Ironman suit saving the planet.
In Vidya Balan's multiple award-winning 'The Dirty Picture', a caricature of an aging Indian cinema hero named Surya -- who sees nothing wrong with an actress playing his lover in one film and his mother in the next -- makes the following declaration:
A heroine's life is like an elected government: The party lasts for 5 years. After that it's there for support.
'The Dirty Picture' may have been set in the '80s but until recently it would have been easy to say nothing's changed. Bollywood's leading men continue to woo women half their age, while the heroines they pursued at the start of their careers play mothers or get trundled out of the industry entirely. It's a man's game in front of the camera, behind the lens and in Mumbai's skyscrapers of power.
But there are signs Indian cinema is being dragged into the 21st century, and two of those pulling the hardest were together again in a Melbourne skyscraper on Friday morning to 'raise the curtain' on the 2015 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
Luckily, so was I.
For the third year in a row Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange stood before gathered press, dignitaries and invited guests and introduced Balan as IFFM's ambassador. As usual they proclaimed their shared vision and dedication to the diversity of Indian cinema, but this year I got a visceral sense of the profundity of their partnership. What other film star takes such a personal stake in a film festival nearly 10,000 kms from her home? What organiser has the moxie to build a successful Indian-based film festival in a city where Indian films barely make a dent? Their name recognition may differ but their courage and conviction do not, and I'd venture to say they inspire each other to force the change that needs to happen if Indian cinema is to remain relevant and vibrant to its worldwide audience.
A greaseball like Surya would find his ass whipped six ways to Sunday if he crossed either of their paths. As a joined force Vidya and Mitu could defeat an army of Suryas. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a show I'd pay good money to see.
Melbourne sparkled in every direction on a perfect autumn morning.
Mitu welcomed Vidya at the elevators. By the time they walked through the doors of a meet and greet session they looked and sounded like reunited sisters.
Prior to the press conference, Vidya exchanged gifts with a Liberal minister named Martin Foley. When asked about continued funding for the IFFM, the new minister assured support from the Australian government would be forthcoming. He and his government will be held to those words.
The fourth IFFM will be the first to feature a theme: equality. Vidya praised Mitu for 'adding a social nerve core' to the festival, 'not something that comes instinctively' in an industry mostly concerned with commercial success. Vidya expressed satisfaction with the increased scope of the 2015 IFFM and hoped it would lead to a growing 'footfall of non-Indian Australians' at the festival. She went on to implore festival-goers to 'bring their families, friends, colleagues ... their DOGS' along with them. I bet the big cheese of cinema chain Hoyts, who was in attendance, got a kick out of that remark.
During a Q&A that was blessedly free of personal questions, an audience member noted the symbolism of Vidya and Mitu being the driving forces behind the IFFM in a patriarchal industry and culture. A wonderful point, and -- perhaps -- a symbol of the overdue respect Vidya's earned as a conscientious woman in the film industry. I've been to all three of Vidya's IFFM press conferences and this was the first to be free of cringeworthy commentary or asinine prying. Another sign of progress. Vidya jokingly referred to herself as the 'biggest ambassador for Melbourne' and said she was 'trying to convince everyone I know to shoot a film in Melbourne.' Asked for her top memories of IFFM, Mitu described Vidya's historic visit to the MCG in 2012 and how she 'floored' TV-personality Eddie McGuire during a live interview.
She also described Amitabh Bachchan taking a selfie (left) from the stage of last year's inaugural IFFM Awards Night and how it made her feel truly at home in Melbourne for the first time. As someone lucky enough to be seated two rows behind the screen legend, and who witnessed the sometimes terrifying degree devotees will go to express their love for a man they've never met but carry in their hearts like a living embodiment of their homeland, I can't begin to imagine what was going through Mitu's mind as the crowd shouted his name and Mr Bachchan -- Amitabh freakin' Bachchan -- playfully snapped a photo of himself on the stage of Melbourne's Princess Theatre. Besides feeling at home, I'd hope she'd also be thinking something along the lines of ... 'I did this.'
Vidya is every inch the movie star yet comes across as both whipsmart and personable. Mitu repeatedly thanked her for raising the 'credibility and visibility' of the IFFM to where it's now in the 'top two or three' Indian film festivals in the world. That's a remarkable accomplishment in such a small market. Mitu said the equality theme would encompass 'gender, race, sexuality and disability' and the August festival would feature a fashion show and recognition of Indian Independence Day on 15 August. She also said a festival program would be out in June. After thanking IFFM's loyal sponsors, Mitu praised her staff at Mind Blowing Films, who work tirelessly to make her vision real.
I'd also like to thank Mitu and everyone at Mind Blowing Films for the kindness they've shown me over the years. A more earnest and committed group you will never find.
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 DirectorMitu 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.
