ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2011, DAY 6: THE COMPETITION HEATS UP

On any other day, I would have been curious to see a film in competition but after A Seperation, I had decided to hound down all Asghar Farhadi films. So I gave up Diago for Dancing in the Dust. Two men as different as chalk and cheese are brought together in a vast, empty landscape. Their back-story no longer matters, its their interaction that becomes the crux of the film. It’s a scenario that has been experimented with by several filmmakers. This one wasn’t the greatest of efforts. Maybe A Seperation had raised my expectations.

From the first day itself, I had felt that the schedule was packed like a can of sardines. In the mini-theatre, you could watch as many as six films in a day! You barely have time to relieve yourself between films. This became evident when I missed the first half hour of Gajendra Ahire’s Nav Savanav Chi Vel Hoti. Ultimately, it didn’t matter because it wasn’t a very good film. A family becomes involved in a kidnapping when the event takes place in their apartment. It had Bharat Jadhav in a serious role for a change.

Cairo 678, which was replaced by Kathapurusham earlier finally put up an appearance. Another hyperlinked film but this time on the central theme of sexual harassment in Egypt. I have a feeling this one will be in the jury’s shortlist.

The Yasujiro Ozu fix for the day was The Munekata Sisters. Standard Ozu stuff with a dash of humour.



Once again, thanks to the schedule, was late for The Other Bank, my first film from Georgia. A 12 year old boy crosses over from Georgia to Abkhazia, a dangerous move considering the war has led to deep-rooted prejudices amongst people. Director George Ovashvili has extracted a superb performance from the kid, Tedo Bekhauri.

Each country has its war which serves as the fountainhead for inspiring works of art. Bangladesh has the 1971 war of independence. The film Guerilla is based on it. There are great war films and there are heart-felt ones. This belongs to the second category. You can easily make out director Nasiruddin Yousuff has experienced most of what transpires in the film. It may not hold up as a cinematic gem but it’s the most genuine film I have seen in this festival. The jury will be pleased.