GOA: Two sections of the IFFI-Goa, 2008, Film India Worldwide and Country Focus on Switzerland were inaugurated with the screening of Oliver Paulus film Tandoori Love. The director Oliver Paulus was present at the screening along with the producer and leading actors of the movie. Described as ‘spicy comedy and a homage to Bollywood and Indian cuisine’, Tandoori Love features many Indian actors such as Vijay Raaj and Shweta Aggarwal. Rajesh Roy is one of the composers.

Film India Worldwide (FIW) is an initiative dedicated to the many links that Indian cinema has forged and is forming with international filmmaking. At IFFI-Goa 2008, FIW presents five films, each with intimations of a wider, more cosmopolitan world beyond. Oliver Paulus’ Tandoori Love features a Bollywood touch in life and love in Switzerland. Sima Urale’s Apron Strings addresses the Indian Diaspora in New Zealand. In the US, Vera Chawla with her feature film Death Without Consent ventures into American mainstream cinema. Within India, Raja Menon’s Barah Aana looks at globalised urban life and its turbulence. Finally, Anjan Dutt’s film in English Chaurasta – Crossroads of Love, uses English songs of a time gone by to take a nostalgic look at Darjeeling.

India as a location and theme is attracting filmmakers of other nationalities. Filmmakers of Indian origin living elsewhere are making films that connect with their homeland.

Indians in India are drawn to urban themes that depict how cultures from abroad are affecting Indian life. Indian actors and technicians feature increasingly in international films. This initiative is not just limited to arranging this package – it also includes ringing out an eponymous magazine that highlights all these growing linkages.

Other films from Switzerland in the Country Focus section are Hippie Masala (Ulrich Grossenbacher & Damaris Luthi), Heimatklange (Stefan Schwietert), Der Freund (Micha Lewinsky), Die Herbstzeitlosen (Bettina Oberli) and Vitus (Fredi Murer).