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Bala, Review: Haireditory and dark humour
Two films in rapid succession about hair loss are about as rare as a new lock of hair sprouting on a bald pate. Whereas Ujda Chaman had the relatively unknown Sunny Singh Nijjar and Maanvi Gagroo playing the lead roles, Bala has National Award winning (shared) actor Ayushmann Khurrana, and by now well established actresses Bhumi Pednekar and Yami Gautam. Time has come when insider jokes, vulgar dialogue, mimicry and stand-up comedy are expected from K...
Midway, Review: Exactly
When you make a war movie, based on facts, you might be motivated to give a slightly balanced view of events, for every country that goes to war has its reasons and its heroes. Your sympathies might lie with the nation where the film is produced, yet, unless your motive is jingoism and ultra-nationalism, you will give some weightage to the enemy’s point of view. Also, a faithful recreation means detailing and realistic characterisation, which when juxtaposed agai...
Prithvi Festival 2019, Review—Ek Natak Aisa Bhi: Beggars can be choosers
Begging is an art, as has been repeatedly proven by reports of fortunes being discovered after the death of certain beggars and the numerous jokes about begging. In Ek Natak Aisa Bhi (A Play of This Type), by Rangshila Theatre Group, the author chronicles the adventures and mishaps that occur in the lives of two professional beggars, who work in tandem. Largely a string of jokes, many derived from films and film-st...
Prithvi Festival 2019: Untitled 1, Review--Poison, its forms, uses and doses
As a Big Brother is Watching state, the concept was explored by George Orwell in 1948. He called it ‘1984’, by merely reversing the last two digits of the year he wrote the book in, and placing it 36 years into the future. Playwright Annie Zaidi sets Untitled1 in the present, or the very near future, with the same concept: An authoritarian state that wants to control what people say, hear, watch, write, r...
by Siraj Syed
Curiosity about the film has been rather high, considering it won the Best Feature Film at the National Film Awards, being the first Gujarati language film ever to bag the honour, with a Special Jury prize for its 13 female actors to boot. Hellaro (The Outburst) is to be the opening film of the Indian Panorama Section at the 50th International Film Festival of India, Goa, and an official entry in the Best Debut director category. There is little doubt that it is one of the best ...
Last Christmas, Review: Rom-com gone tragi-com
A film that is titled Last Christmas could work its title two ways, either as the last Christmas of someone who is not going to see another one, or as referring to something that happened at last year’s Christmas. Since it chooses the latter path, you presume it will be a film full of happy memories of the lead actors. Sadly, there is very little that is happy about Last Christmas. For all it is worth, the title might have had the former co...
Prithvi Festival 2019: Slippery Phislan and murderous Haye…Maar Dala Re
Started by the family of his youngest son, Shashi Kapoor, in memory of Papaji Prithviraj Kapoor, in 1978, Prithvi Theatre, built in the amphi-theatre style in upmarket Juhu, opened its doors to theatre groups and drama-lovers in 1978. First, its moving spirit was Jennifer Kendal, Shashi’s wife, and daughter of a theatre doyen, Geoffrey Kendal. When she had an untimely death, her daughter Sanjana took over the...
Prithvi Festival: Piyush Mishra’s Gagan Damama Bajyo, rivetting study of the life and times of Bhagat Singh, sets the tone
Besides Mohandas Karamchand ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi, two other freedom fighters are often cited as heroes of the Indian freedom struggle against its colonial British masters: ‘Netaji’ Subhashchandra Bose and ‘Shaheed’ Bhagat Singh. Bose went abroad, formed the Indian National Army (INA/Azad Hind Fauj) and waged armed battles against the ...
IFFI 50, XII: Rajinikanth to be Icon of Golden Jubilee
Union (Central Government) Information & Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar, announced on November 02 that, “In recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, during the past several decades, I am happy to announce that the award for the ‘Icon of the Golden Jubilee of IFFI 2019’ is being conferred on cine-star Shri. S. RajiniKanth”, said Javadekar.
Carpenter-turned-porter-turned-bus conduc...
IFFI 50, XI: Kashmiri film Nooreh to open non-feature Indian Panorama
The 50th International Film Festival of India, 2019 will witness over 200 best films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films in Indian panorama section and around 10,000 delegates and film-lovers are expected to participate in the golden jubilee edition.
Indian Panorama is a flagship section of IFFI, which showcases the best of contemporary Indian Feature and Non-Feature Films of the years. This ...
IFFI 50, X: International Jury for IFFI 2019 has Bailey, Campillo, Yang, Ramsay and Sippy
John Bailey, Cinematographer and Ex-President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (the body that awards the Oscars) will chair the International Jury of 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). French film-maker Robin Campillo, who was also a member of the Cannes International Jury 2019, renowned Chinese film-maker Zhang Yang and Ms. Lynne Ramsay, who is one of the leading lights...
IFFI 50, IX: 13 International films and 2 Indian films in the competition at IFFI 2019
Each year, the coveted ‘Golden Peacock’ prize is given to one movie in the International Competition Section. It carries a cash prize of Rs. 40 lakhs (4 million), to be shared equally between the Producer and the Director, a Trophy and a citation.
This year, the International Competition consists of 15 movies, produced and/or co-produced by 22 countries. Two entries are from India.
Here is the...
IFFI 50, VIII: Debut Film Competition entries announced
The 50th International Film Festival of India announced the seven films in Debut Competition section of the festival. The festival, which has been a launch pad to several film-makers over the past 66 years, aims at bringing forth the best first time film-makers of the year in this section.
Algerian film Abou Leila, directed by Amin Sidi-Boumedine,
Korean film Romang, by LEE Chang-geun,
Romanian film Monsters, by Mar...
IFFI 50,VII: Isabelle Huppert to get Lifetime Achievement Award; 50 women’s films to be screened
One of the most famous and most popular French actresses of her generation, Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert will be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Panaji, Goa, 2019.
This was announced by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar, in New Delhi yesterday.
The Union Mi...
IFFI 50, VI: Soul of Asia Retrospective of seven landmark movies
IFFI 2019, in its 50th edition, will be presenting a specially curated section which consists of some of the new and dynamic films that have made their mark, from across various Asian countries, and have been directed by Asian film-makers. With this spirit in mind, it has been named, Soul of Asia.
Films to be showcased in this section are:
Feelings to Tell, by Wen LI
Summer is the Coldest Season, by Sun Zhou
The Fourth Wal...
IFFI 50, V: Kaleidoscope selection of 20 films announced today
50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) today announced the list of films to be screened in Festival Kaleidoscope, one of the most important sections of the festival.
Festival Kaleidoscope section of 50th IFFI brings under one umbrella exotic films from around the world for film aficionados, who will flock to the festival at Panaji, Goa, in just under three weeks’ time. The section showcases 20 films, hand-picked a...
IFFI 50, IV: 17 films in specially curated Master Frames section
2019 marks the 50th year of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The 50th International Film Festival of India, 2019, will witness over 200 selected films from 76 countries, 26 feature films and 15 non feature films in Indian panorama section, and more than 10,000 people and film lovers are expected to participate in the golden jubilee edition.
On the occasion, a special section has been curated, called Master Frame...
The Current War, Review: DC Edison v/s AC Westinghouse
Unless you do some background reading, this review included, you will not guess that the film is not about a conventional war but about the rivalry between Thomas Alva Edison, credited with inventing Direct Current operated incandescent bulbs, and their Alternating Current based, dynamo-run variants, developed by George Westinghouse, back in the 1880s. It’s a double-barrelled bio-pic that spouts too much jargon and is not saved by f...
Terminator-Dark Fate, Review: Terminal stillness
With a title like Dark Fate, they have already let the cat out of the bag. It is bound to end in one or more of its heroes/heroines dying, meeting their dark fate. That being a given, Terminator: Dark Fate provides some impressive action and unending shape-shifts/split bodies to keep you entertained, saving the best for the last. It is a long last, and it lasts really long.
Three years after defeating the T-1000 and averting the rise of the ma...
Ujda Chaman, Review: Hair loss, weight gain
Barren follicles and overflowing lipids can, and often do, cause the corps to be subjected to taunts and ridicule for extended periods of time, maybe all through life. If you happen to be in the marriage market, sporting a bald patch up front, or ample girth across your perpendicular stance, these are distinct disadvantages, almost as bad as age differences of 20 or more years between prospective suitors. Highlighting the plight of obese and balding...
IFFI 50, III: 50th festival since 1952
Started way back in 1952, the first ever IFFI was organised by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, with the patronage of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. This was also the first International Film Festival held anywhere in Asia. It inspired many budding talents to become film-makers, especially the film Bicycle Thieves, which remains a classic 70 years later. Seen in the picture, r...
IFFI 50, II: Make a short film in 72 hours, win Rs. 1,00,000
International Film Festival of India (IFFI) celebrates its Golden Jubilee edition, from 20th to 28th November 2019, in Goa’s state capital, Panaji. This year, it be having a short film-making competition called “Mini Movie Mania Short Film Competition”. The topic for the film will be given during IFFI, and the movie-makers have to submit their films within 72 hours, after the topic is announced. There will be two s...
IFFI 50, I: 10 Oscar winners to be screened
On the occasion of the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the festival has announced a special section which celebrates some of the most outstanding films which have won the Best Film award at the annual Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. The section has been aptly named the Oscar Retrospective.
The films to be showcased in this section include Casablanca (1942) by Michael Curtiz, Gone With the Wind (1939) by Victor Fleming,...
8th edition of Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) from 7 November, announces full line-up
Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) will be held from 7 to 10 November, 2019 in the beautiful mountain town of McLeodGanj, Dharamshala, home of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and the meeting point of a rich and cosmopolitan mix of people and cultures. As is the past, the eighth edition will continue to showcase an eclectic mix of the best of independent features, documentaries, shor...
MFF 21, 2019: Fernando Meirelles’ Masterclass
Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles took a master class on the fifth day of MAMI’s 21st Mumbai Film Festival. Best known for his globally acclaimed and award-winning films such as The Constant Gardener, City of God and Blindness, the director was speaking after the screening of his 2019 biographical comedy-drama titled The Two Popes, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce.
Festival Director Anupama Chopra presented the Excell...
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About Siraj Syed
 Syed Siraj
(Siraj Associates)
Siraj Syed is a film-critic since 1970 and a Former President of the Freelance Film Journalists' Combine of India.
He is the India Correspondent of FilmFestivals.com and a member of FIPRESCI, the international Federation of Film Critics, Munich, Germany
Siraj Syed has contributed over 1,015 articles on cinema, international film festivals, conventions, exhibitions, etc., most recently, at IFFI (Goa), MIFF (Mumbai), MFF/MAMI (Mumbai) and CommunicAsia (Singapore). He often edits film festival daily bulletins.
He is also an actor and a dubbing artiste. Further, he has been teaching media, acting and dubbing at over 30 institutes in India and Singapore, since 1984.
Bandra West, Mumbai India View my profileSend me a message
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