With its commitment to bringing the best of recent Indian cinema to a wide audience, the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), through the Indian Panorama Film Festival, will arrive in Shillong on March 3 with examples of entertaining, yet thought-provoking, cinema from around the country.
The films explore the beautiful, and sometimes tortuous, lives of their cast of characters, including a carpenter forced by circumstances to build coffins (The Coffin Maker), a seemingly unconnected group of people in Mumbai pulled together by fate (Ship of Theseus) and four individuals in the very heart of Shillong, whose story is told over the course of a single day (Ka Lad).
Directed by Gautam Syiem and Dondor Lyngdoh, Ka Lad will be screened on March 4, the second day of the four-day event, which is organised by Meghalaya’s Department of Information and Public Relations in collaboration with the Government of India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through the Directorate of Film Festivals.
Ship of Theseus and The Coffin Maker will both receive their screening on March 5, with another eight films spread across the festival.
The two young Meghalaya filmmakers saw Ka Lad screened at the IFFI late last year as part of a special section celebrating North Eastern cinema and the short film (26 minutes long) had its premiere in Shillong at the Indie8 Film Festival held in August.
Ship of Theseus was also shown at the same event, giving Shillongites another chance to catch both films.
The Anand Gandhi-directed feature length movie deals philosophically with the issues a photographer, monk and stockbroker face in a witty and moving manner.
The 2012 film received critical acclaim both internationally and at home, putting Gandhi on the map and demonstrating a vision of Indian cinema very different to the mainstream.
Set in Goa, The Coffin Maker, directed by first-timer Veena Bakshi, also received praise during last year’s IFFI, with the Hindustan Times stating that the film proves why lead actor Naseeruddin Shah “is India’s best”.
Shah plays Anton Gomes, a carpenter making a living by producing coffins after falling on hard times, who sees his life transformed after a meeting with Death, played by Randeep Hooda.
With so much diversity in these three films, there is something to suit everyone’s taste at Indian Panorama, reflecting in a way the varied nature that is Shillong and India as a whole.
