MUMBAI :It will be a feast for Indian cinema lovers at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG) in Canada. From mainstream cinema to a Manipuri documentary – it is all there.
The festival, scheduled from September 7 to 16, will host a gala presentation of Karan Johar’s third feature film after Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham titled Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. The film revolves around broken relationships and stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta.
The official release of the film is slated for 14 August all over. Describing KANK as “a passionate, sweeping love story that captures India’s biggest stars and foremost talent with charm and sophistication”, a TIFFG press release issued on July 20 says: “With New York as its backdrop, the film tackles the bonds of marriage with delightful touches of humour and grand leaps into romance.”
Another film, albeit of a completely different hue, will have its world premiere in the special presentation category. It is Yash Raj Films’ eagerly-awaited Kabul Express, a Yash Raj Films production that is completely removed from anything that the Mumbai industry’s premier banner has ever bankrolled.
Also in the line of the 31st TIFF are 59-year-old Chitra Palekar’s first directorial effort, the Marathi-language film Maati Maay (A Grave-Keeper’s Tale), based on a Mahasweta Devi story about a woman condemned to struggle on the fringes of society
Baayen; Rajnesh Domalpalli’s Telugu-language Vanaja, is about the first sexual stirrings of a 15-year-old aspiring danseuse.
The 52-minute documentary film A Cry In The Dark directed by SRFTI-trained Haobam Paban Kumar will also be screened under the Real to Reel Section of the Festival. The synopsis of the film says, “When Manipur became a part of India in 1949, a large portion of the Manipuri population was resistant, believing the merger to be an illegal and illegitimate annexation.
Dedicated to bringing the most provocative international cinema to Toronto audiences, the Festival offers these title search of which explores significant social and political issues as among the most poignant contemporary film making from India, South Asia and the World.
Noah Cowan, the festival co-director says, “India is a nation of diverse cultures and languages. Films in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Manipuri will be here … Thus its cinema is diverse, dynamic and exciting… These films demonstrate the impressive range and we at the festival are thrilled to be a part of its future.”
