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.
The ever-gracious Vidya Balan (above) addresses media gathered for the release of the 2014 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) program schedule this morning. Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange, who invited me, is beside Vidya, who's been IFFM's Festival Ambassador since its inception in 2012. The festival opens 1 May with a screening of the recent 3D re-release of Bollywood's most famous film, Sholay, and an appearance by the world's most beloved actor, Amitabh Bachchan. The festival runs until 11 May.
For those unfamiliar with Sholay and its star Amitabh Bachchan: Imagine a Western film festival launched with a screening of 'Gone With the Wind' with Clark Gable there to introduce it. Or 'The Godfather' with Marlon Brando. Or 'Dr Strangelove' with Peter Sellers. THAT'S how big of a deal it is to have Amitabh Bachchan -- a living legend -- coming to Melbourne to introduce 'Sholay' at the 2014 IFFM.
I described Vidya Balan as "ever-gracious" because her ability to smile and be respectful while questioners ignore her accomplishments and vomit sexist, condescending questions is astounding. The woman's string of performances over the past five years is unsurpassed by anyone, male or female, in the world of cinema. Yet she's continually bombarded with questions about her gender, weight, recent marriage, potential pregnancy and other non-work-related crap. Vidya recently announced she's taking a 2-month break from acting in order to "replenish" herself through books, travel, the arts ... normal life to you and I. India's entertainment media had a field day -- clearly this meant she was pregnant! The multiple award-winning-actor addressed the hysteria this morning by saying no, in fact, she's not pregnant. She's an artist who needs to recharge her batteries by stepping away from the cameras for a short while.
Praise must also be given to festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange, who's again outdone herself with this year's IFFM program schedule. Her Melbourne-based company Mind Blowing Films is small but powerful and distributes Indian films and DVDs throughout Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. Seeing her side-by-side with Vidya this morning reminded me how much lovers of Indian cinema in this secluded part of the world have benefited from their partnership.
Vidya, Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher and Mitu.
The 2013 Indian Film Festival came to a serendipitous close on 22 May with a screening of 'Bombay Talkies', a film that points the way towards a bold future for Bollywood and, likewise, next year's IFFM. Comprised of four short films by four of India's leading directors -- Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap -- 'Bombay Talkies' ended with a rousing pastiche of 100 years of Indian cinema and a flurry of Bollywood's brightest stars:
The film's final story involved a man's unhinged attempt to get Amitabh Bachchan to take a bite of a murabba for the sake of his dying father. Fitting, and ironic, as Mr Bachchan was originally scheduled to close this year's IFFM with a screening of his 1975 hit 'Deewaar'. In a brief speech before the film, festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange apologised for Mr Bachchan's absence and shared an assurance from Big B's people that the Bollywood legend would attend next year's IFFM.
Let's hope.
Opening night starpower.
The festival kicked off 3 May at Hoyt's Melbourne Central with a screening of the first film ever made in India on the 100th anniversary -- to the day -- of its premiere at Coronation Cinematograph in Mumbai. The surviving reels of the silent 'Raja Harishchandra' were accompanied by a quartet of musicians who brought welcome warmth to the cinema's sterile environs. This was followed by a screening of 'Harishcandrachi Factory', a 2009 film about Govind Phalke, the maker of 'Raja Harishchandra' and the man recognised as the father of Indian cinema. Attendees were treated to a cross-section of familiar Indian cinema faces (as shown above, from left to right):
-- Director Kabir Khan, who quietly presided over a Bollywood dance contest in Fed Square the following night before giving a masterclass the next day about his move from documentary filmmaker to director of the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time, 'Ek Tha Tiger'
-- Dancer/actor/director Prabhudeva, also a judge at the dance contest, and who was urged to 'DANCE DANCE DANCE' by the Fed Square crowd each time his thin frame got on stage
Simi Garewal and Vidya Balan
-- Newcomer Girish Kumar, who did little to inspire confidence in his future as a Bollywood leading man
-- Former actor and current director/TV talk show host Simi Garewal (standing here with Vidya Balan), who gave a thought-provoking presentation at Maelbourne University on the evolution -- or not -- of women in Indian cinema
-- Actor and 2-time IFFM ambassador Vidya Balan, who was her usual delightful self
-- Choreographer/director/actress Farah Khan, who was the lead judge of the dance contest and whose natural humour would be the envy of any standup comedian
-- Indian cinema royalty Pamela Chopra, widow of Yash Chopra, who was gently coerced into singing a snippet of a tune from 'Veer-Zaara', one of her husband's many mega-hits and a film whose soundtrack was released at the same time Aradhna and I met in 2004. In other words, it's a sentimental favourite.
-- Previously mentioned and very pregnant festival director
Mitu Bhowmick Lange. (Vidya's bodyguard is standing behind Mitu -- my wife Aradhna recognised him from last year's film festival. She was pleased to see him again. Let's leave it at that.)
Despite the presence of Bollywood dignitaries the cinema on opening night was only half-full. The folks at IFFM, who are affiliated with a Melbourne-based distribution & production company called Mind Blowing Films, put together a phenomenal festival every year but have yet to truly connect with Melbourne's growing Indian community. I don't claim to possess the secret to marketing to a notoriously penny-pinching audience but an event this good deserves a broader audience ... an audience of film lovers, not just Indian cinema lovers.
Kabir Khan and Prabhudeva
For those who did attend, however, opening night was loose and fun. While Kabir Khan and Prabhudeva (shown here) were either extremely shy or jetlagged or both, Vidya Balan embodied her ambassador role with zeal and grace. Vidya had the same role at last year's IFFM and seemed equally enthusiastic on her second trip to Melbourne. She's one of the world's great actors, of course, so a cynic would say she was being putting her thespian skills to use but Vidya comes across as natural, unpretentious ... genuine. When some nitwit in a purple sports coat asked if she had any 'news to share' about starting a family with her new husband she pointed at Mitu and said that since she was like a sister to her, Mitu's blessing would suffice.
[Sidenote: Mitu's resemblance to Vidya in 2012's 'Kahaani' -- a film Simi Garewal called a 'game-changer in Indian cinema' for its casting of a heavily pregnant Vidya as lead protagonist -- never failed to make me smile. Not just for the physical resemblance, but for the strength and patience she had in abundance at the many events she oversaw. Awe inspiring is how I'd describe it.]
If Vidya was the heart of the festival, Farah Khan was the wit. Possessing none of the physical attributes of a typical female Bollywood star, Farah is a tightly compressed force of nature who seems always on the verge of laughter or a volley of words.
Vidya Balan and Farah Khan
When a grossly uninformed gentleman asked why the 100-year-old 'Raja Harishchandra' was a silent film -- compounding the cringeworthiness of his question by suggesting 'technical problems' may have been to blame -- Farah wasted no time in declaring it the 'question of the night' and spared the young man any further embarressment.
Aradhna and I recently watched a movie she starred in last year with an actor named Boman Irani called 'Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi'. It was shocking to see a product of Indian cinema focus on a romance of two over-40s, but Farah's personality shone through and energised the film, making its sometimes silly conceits believable. Seeing her in-person at this year's IFF made her many successes in a male-dominated industry, which includes writing and directing the sublime box office smash 'Om Shanti Om' in 2007, easy to understand: Who the hell could hope to stop this multi-talented mother of triplets?
Performers at the Bollywood dance competition in Fed Square.
The following night's dance competition brought a sizable crowd to Fed Square on a cool autumn evening in Melbourne's CBD. Acts ranged from professional troupes to classically trained women to goofballs. Those watching were invited to vote after each performance via SMS and judges Farah, Prabhudeva and Kabir made the occasional comment at the prompting of Mitu. Girish Taurani was given bahut bahut opportunity to promote his upcoming Bollywood debut in a film directed by Prabhudeva called 'Ramaia Vastavaiya' but he lacked the showmanship you'd expect from a guy with family connections to the industry (his dad's a B-wood bigwig). We'll all find out in July if the young man's reticence can be overcome with a good script, helpful direction and expert editing.
Flinders Street Station glows behind the Fed Square stage.
Wouldn't be Bollywood without melodrama.
Kabir Khan (far left) resists the demand of crowd and colleagues to break out some moves.
Tiny Mitu addresses the large crowd.
Farah Khan dances with the night's winners.
Kabir Khan masterclass
Kabir's opening night shyness and near invisibility at the dance competition made me wonder if his masterclass would be engaging, but I needn't have worried. 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. The phenomenal success of 'Ek Tha Tiger' has made Khan one of Bollywood's most sought-after directors, yet his roots as a documentary filmmaker seem to ground him. He discussed how his first film, 'Kabul Express', reflected his own experiences in post 9/11-Afghanistan, experiences which also influenced his next and first big-budget film, 'New York'. When he asked for questions I shot my hand up and mentioned my reaction when Aradhna and I left the cinema after seeing 'New York' -- it was the first film I'd seen that addressed the horrors of rendition and the murky, troubling issues that the US's reaction to 9/11 created. A brave, necessary film. And I told him so.
Simi Garewal showing a clip of her own work.
More bravery was on display during Simi Garewel's presentation at Melbourne University two days later. Her appearance was labeled Australia India Institute Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture: Evolution of Women in Indian Cinema. Despite the weighty monicker in a packed, brightly lit room lined with video cameras, Simi's delivery was equal parts intellectual and elegant, lightened with an occasional humourous touch borne of a lifetime of hard-won lessons. She claimed to be nervous but came across as self-assured in her disappointment at Indian cinema's 'lost opportunity' to use its place as India's major 20th-century communicator to positively portray women in its thousands of commercial films. Simi drove home her words with damning clips from films and songs that portrayed women as second-class citizens, human chattel, even deserving victims of rape. As I wasn't introduced to Indian cinema until 2004 I could relate to Simi's observations about India's often baffling values, but to hear them from a legend within the industry was gobsmacking.
Simi also showed clips of herselfafter describing the circumstances of her arrival in Bombay at the age of 15 in the early '60s. How unprepared she was -- 'Learn Hindi!' was her advice for anyone following in her youthful footsteps -- after being raised and educated in London. How she was stunned to see Indian society as it was portrayed in Bollywood films, and how she avoided taking roles that would perpetuate entrenched, negative stereotypes. Simi described how lucky she felt to be mentored by legendary Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray and confessed to loving the negative role she played in Subhash Ghai's 'Karz'. I felt unworthy to shake the hand of the beautiful 'Lady in White' afterward, but she locked eyes and thanked me in a way that turned my legs to jelly as I walked to the Melbourne Uni tram stop. What a legend.
[An entity called Australia Network News posted a report that uses several clips of Simi's presentation, as well as commentary from Mitu, Vidya, Farah and Kabir. Watch it here.]
He may be taller but believe me, young Girish is dwarfed by these women.
I also attended a masterclass by documentary filmmaker Penny Vozniak called When Hollywood Meets Bollywood. It was preceded by a screening of 'Despite the Gods', Vozniak's documentary about filmmaker Jennifer Lynch's experience filming a supernatural thriller in India. The Aussie doco-maker was open and enthusiastic during her talk with an audience of less than 20 attendees, but the pretext for the masterclass was undercut by 'Despite the Gods' being less about a Hollywood-meets-Bollywood scenario than a two-hour descent into Jennifer Lynch's selfishness, ignorance, self-absorption and mind-boggling ineptitude at making a film anyone with any sense would pay to see. Ugh. Penny's skills as a documentary storyteller are obvious, and one hopes her next project, which she described as being years in the making and not yet complete, will reward her dedication with a story worth sharing.
On a sidenote: Penny's masterclass was held the night before Simi Garewal's presentation. I was grateful that whatever stain Jennifer Lynch left on my psyche was blessedly washed away by Simi's wisdom, strength and inner-beauty.
I found a better Hollywood-meets-Bollywood lesson at the Australian premiere of a film called 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. Director Mira Nair has made several such cross-genre films, and I thought 'Fundamentalist' succeeded as an engrossing, post-9/11, East-meets-West drama. Mitu addressed the packed house beforehand and introduced a former Aussie cricketer whose name I forget because I'm not Australian or Indian and therefore have zero interest and/or knowledge of the game's history. The man was clearly comfortable in front of a crowd and acknowledged the time he spent in Pakistan as an international sportsman ('Fundamentalist' takes place in Pakistan and the US). A line of people waiting to take 'selfies' with him stretched to the aisle when the film was over, confirming his international fame.
[Update: I've since been informed by fellow Indian-cinema-loving friend Enid, whom I met at this hear's IFFM and who joined me at the 'Reluctant Fundamentalist' screening, that the cricketer's name was Greg Chappell. Thanks, Ms Prasad.]
Understand, this recap barely scrapes the surface of the staggering number of films shown at this year's IFFM. I just flipped through the brochure again and was reminded of the multi-generational, multi-genre scope of the array of movies shown at five locations: Hoyts in Melbourne Central and Chadstone, ACMI, the outdoor screen in Fed Square and newly Pamela Chopra-christened Yash Chopra Cinema at La Trobe University. I've attended other film festivals, mostly in the US, and would rank this one as one of the best I've ever attended. Its presence in Melbourne is something that must be celebrated and broadcast to the rest of the world. As noted before, I believe it's time Indian cinema was promoted outside its natural ex-pat audience. I'm a bloody Bollywood tragic and I grew up in the shadow of New York City. My wife's devotion to Indian cinema was a rite of childhood and her sharing it with me has been a life-changing gift.
It's time that gift was shared with non-Indian Australians and, most especially, ALL lovers of exceptional cinema.
Most Bollywood films are infused with 'item numbers' that dose audiences with the glamour and sexuality expected from 'masala' pictures. It's then -- and only then -- that female stars may properly don skimpy, bejeweled outfits and prance around to sensual beats in scenes that typically have zero bearing on the film's narrative. Such provocative item numbers have propelled the likes of Katrina Kaif and Malaika Arora Khan to superstardom in India. (There are no item numbers for men, of course, though they occasionally participate, and usually filmed from the waist up.)
For a woman to portray a provocative character as an actress, however, means being subjected to slander and questions of morality by the same public that loses its mind to Kaif's Sheila Ki Jawaani from 2010's otherwise completely forgettable Tees Maar Khan.
Vidya Balan (right) is one of the world's top actresses. She's appeared in several critically acclaimed films but broke through in 2011's surprise smash 'The Dirty Picture'. Unlike the bulk of Bollywood actresses, Balan didn't progress from beauty pageants to acting. She's a naturally attractive woman, untouched by plastic surgery or liposuction, who'd normally be forced to settle for younger sister/daughter roles. Never the sexpot. She broke free of such conformity in 2010's Ishqiya and blew up the template in Dirty Picture, in which she played a fictional version of a real South Indian actress who scandalised the Tamil film industry in the '80s with bawdy on- and offscreen sensuality.
Indian society is unapologetically male-dominated. Its various film industries -- Bollywood is the one out of Mumbai -- rewards 'bad boy' behaviour and multiple resurrections of careers for its wayward male stars. Women are held to a different standard, and Vidya Balan is the current poster child of a good girl gone bad. How it effects her career remains to be seen, though her most recent film, an outstanding thriller called Kahaani that saw Balan play a pregnant woman searching for her missing husband in Kolkata, has been one of 2012's biggest hits. Maybe her talent and determination will open doors for young actresses seeking fame without shaking their fannies during inconsequential item numbers. Let's hope so.
Balan is this year's 'brand ambassador' (Indians have a thing for awful corporate-speak) of the annual Indian Film Festival here in Oz. She was in Melbourne Friday night to introduce and take questions before a screening of Dirty Picture at Melbourne Central Hoyts in the CBD. Aradhna and I saw Dirty Picture upon its release but were both keen on seeing Balan in the flesh, as we'd done previously with Rani Mukherjee and Aamir Khan when they introduced films in Melbourne for IFF. She was delightful, patient, witty and engaging with a mostly Indian and adoring audience. In the clip above she answers a question about how she handles criticism for challenging not only Bollywood conservative standards, but society's.
(I shot this with a newly purchased Canon Ixus 125 camera that's perfect for traveling but terrible for filming in a cinema, so please excuse thes clip's crap quality.)
