5 Indian films at Berlinale 2013
5 Indian films at Berlinale 2013
In the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival (from Feb 7-17), five Indian films have made the cut in various sections of the festival.
Panorama Special: Kai Po Che by Abhishek Kapoor
“Skillfully merging traditional elements of mainstream Indian filmmaking, a sensitive score and exquisite use of unique locations, Kai Po Che stands out as an example of modern cinema from Bollywood. It deals with India’s reality in a distinctive manner, and is surprisingly different in its ambition to bring back to public debate events which were almost forgotten and covered up for too long,” writes the festival.
The film is scheduled for a theatrical release in India on 22nd February. Kai Po Che features Sushant Singh Rajput, Raj Kumar, Amit Sadh and Amrita Puri.
Forum Expanded: Kya hua is shahar ko? (What Happened to This City?) by Deepa Dhanraj
A 1986 film, Kya hua is shahar ko? is being digitalised, restored and screened again for the first time in 27 years as part of the “Living Archive” project. A DVD including additional historical and contemporary material is due for release in June 2013.
Berlinale calls it “a pioneering political work of contemporary relevance” that revolves around communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in 1984.
Forum: …Moddhikhane Char (Char… the No Man’s Island) by Sourav Sarangi
Char…The No Man’s Island, is about a fourteen year-old boy who smuggles rice from India to Bangladesh and will be screened in the Forum section of the festival. The film recently won a Special Mention in ‘Muhr Asia Africa Documentary’ category at Dubai film festival 2012.
Forum: Powerless by Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar
Powerless is set in Kanpur, a city with 15-hour power cuts, where a nimble young electrician provides robin-hood style services to the poor. Meanwhile, the first female chief of the electricity supply company is on a mission to dismantle the illegal connections, for good. The documentary recently received a grant from Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program and Fund.
Generation Kplus Short Film: Sonyacha Aamba (Golden Mango) by Govinda Raju
An eight year old boy has an insatiable appetite for mangoes. But his family must save money. To console him, his grandmother tells him a bedtime story about a man who discovers golden mangoes in his garden. The story is carried over into the boy’s dream. Golden Mango takes an endearing look at childlike fantasy and artfully interweaves it with the boy’s reality.
‘Generation Kplus’ section is devoted to children.
Read more on the 63rd Berlin International Film festival: Click Here
