"In my films, I've always strived to represent Indian women as strong characters"

In-Conversation Session with Actress Rani Mukerji on ‘Delivering Compelling Performances’ at IFFI 54

26 November 2023, IFFI Premises: A riveting In-Conversation session with Hindi film actress Rani Mukerji on the theme of 'Delivering Compelling Performances' was held today at the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The freewheeling debate, moderated by Baradwaj Rangan, Editor-in-Chief of Galatta Plus and a National Award-winning Film Critic, went into Mukerji's life and successful career.

Swati Bhat

Rani reflected on her film career, saying that she always strived to represent Indian women as strong characters. "Outside India, films and their characters are viewed as windows towards our Indian culture," she went on to say.

"It is important to always stand by strong films and roles," the acclaimed actress said, emphasizing the necessity of dedication to one's craft. You may not always obtain the audience's approval throughout that time period. Such films and people, however, will find a place in cinema history." Rani Mukerji also stressed the importance of flexibility in an actor. She elaborated, saying, "If an actor is versatile, they can portray different facets of life." The more diversified my characters are, the more interesting they will be for both the audience and me. This variety of characters encourages me as well."

"For doing specific roles, actors often meet real-life people to get their physical characteristics right," Rani said, delving into the complexities of character portrayal. However, it is equally critical to understand all of their feelings. The emotions underlying a scene in a film are what set it apart. It is critical to depict emotions in order to reach the audience's heart."

On the subject of ageism in the film industry, the acclaimed actress stated that actors must choose roles that suit their age in order for the audience to embrace them. She went on to say that the audience helped her overcome ageism and other challenges in the film industry.

Sharing her personal reflection, Rani remarked, "I don't give much importance to the age factor and tried to do justice to my characters. Fifty percent of your battle of making people believe in the character is won if you look like the character."

While expressing her happiness with her journey, the acclaimed actress revealed that she has never regretted playing any characters in her film career. "But it was unfortunate that I couldn't be part of Aamir Khan's first production venture film 'Lagaan' due to a date clash," she went on to say.

Rani Mukerji has charmed audiences with hundreds of gorgeous personalities, ranging from 'Tina Malhotra' in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to 'Maya Talwar' in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and 'Debika Chatterjee' in Mrs. Chatterjee versus Norway. When asked which of her characters she has played is her favorite, she said that the character in the film 'Black' is closest to her heart, revealing that the character transformed her and enabled her to be a better human being. "The character of 'Michelle McNally' in Black inspired and challenged me at the same time. The character in 'Mehndi' also empowered me”, she added.

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Indian films ‘Sanaa’, ‘Kantara’ & ‘Mirbeen’ to compete for Prestigious Golden Peacock Award at IFFI

At the ongoing 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa, 15 films have been chosen to compete for the renowned Golden Peacock Award. The great roster of exceptional films includes 12 international films and three Indian features.

Swati Bhat

A still from the film SANAA (2023)

The Golden Peacock award, which recognises excellence in filmmaking, is one of the world's most prestigious cinematic honours. This year's jury includes film industry veterans such as Spanish cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine, French film producers Jerome Paillard and Catherine Dussart, Australian film producer Helen Leake, and acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, who also serves as the Jury Chairperson.

The excitement grows as the competition this year promises to showcase the greatest, with films like:

1. WOMAN OF (Original title- Kobieta Z)

Woman Of is a 2023 Polish-Swedish drama film written and directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert. The drama is set against the landscape of the Polish transformation from communism to capitalism.

2. The Other Widow (Original Title- Pilegesh)

Israeli director Ma'ayan Rypp’s debut feature is a dark, comedic coming-of-age story about a modern single woman, Ella. Ella is 34 years old theatre dresser and mistress, experiences the sudden death of her lover. She begins to frequent his Shivah (Jewish mourning rituals) and observes the life that was forbidden to her. A need to grieve attacks her in the least expected moments. Eventually she demands her legitimate right to mourn.

3. The Party of Fools (Original Title- Captives)

Arnaud Des Pallières directed “Party Of Fools” is a story of female solidarity, a portrait of women who dream of a destiny other than the one mapped out for them. Fanni, unlike the other women who are interned to ‘Party of Fools’ unjustly against their will, she is here voluntarily. Her only goal is to find her mother and escape together. This French feature is produced by Philippe Rousselet and Jonathan Blumental.

4. Measures Of Men (Original Title- Der Vermessene Mensch)

The German director Lars KRAUME has made a haunting film about the genocide of the Herero and the Nama tribes in 19th-century Berlin. German ethnologist, Alexander Hoffmann, travels to the former colony "German Southwest Africa (Now Namibia)" to gather art and skulls for the Berlin Ethnological Museum and slowly begins to lose his moral compass for career gain, failing to oppose white supremacy as Germany's history darkens.

5. LUBO

Lubo is a 2023 Italian-Swiss drama film directed by Giorgio Diritti. Lubo is a nomad, a busker who in 1939 is called up to the Swiss army to defend the country’s borders against the risk of a German invasion. Shortly afterward he finds out that his wife has died in the attempt to stop the gendarmes from taking away their three small children. Lubo knows that he will never have peace until he gets his children back and gets justice for his story and that of all outsiders like himself.

6. HOFFMAN'S FAIRY TALES (Original Title: Skazki Gofmana)

The film is directed by Tina Barkalaya, Russian director of Georgian origin. It is set in the early 2000s, as the Soviet era fades into a Westernised parody, the film follows Nadezhda, a timid woman trapped in a marriage with Vitaly, exploiting her for an apartment. She emerges as a sought-after hand model, reshaping her life dramatically.

7. ENDLESS BORDERS (Original Title: Marzhaye bi Payan)

Directed by Abbas Amini, Endless Borders is a gripping drama in which danger lurks literally everywhere. The rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan has reignited the fire of ethnic and tribal wars. Ahmad, an exiled Iranian teacher, gets acquainted with a Hazara family from Afghanistan, and sees the real face of prejudice and dogmatism in the region. A forbidden love makes him act and discover the lack of love and bravery in his own life.

8. DIE BEFORE DEATH (Original Title: Umri Prije Smrti)

The Movie is directed by Ahmed Imamovic (Bosnia And Herzegovina). Gorgeous gynecologist Zlatan falls seriously ill and has little time left. Convinced that it is punishment for the abortions he performed, he embarks on a journey to seek answers to his conflicts. The final moments turn into victory of life over death as a child is born since Zlatan spares one unborn life.

9. BOSNIAN POT (Original Title: Bosanski Lonac )

Croatian Director  Pavo Marinković is back to IFFI with his masterpiece creation. It is a story of a Bosnian writer living in Austria who is suddenly left without a residence permit due to stricter immigration rules and his own negligence. In order to not be deported, Faruk must prove to the authorities that he's made a cultural contribution to Austrian society. The ensuing adventure brought on by Faruk's reluctant return to the theater could transform his life and force him to realise what is truly important.

10. BLAGA’S LESSONS (Original Title: Urotcite na Blaga)

With many award-winning feature and documentary films to his credit, Bulgarian Director  Stephan Komandarev is coming to IFFI with BLAGA’S LESSONS. Blaga is a seventy-year-old recently widowed former teacher and a woman of firm morals. When telephone scammers con her out of the money that she had saved for her husband’s grave, her moral compass slowly begins to lose its bearings as she transforms into a scammer herself.

11. ASOG

Seán‌ ‌Devlin is a first generation Filipino-Chinese-Irish Canadian filmmaker and comedian. Asog is a unique narrative incorporating documentary elements follows Rey, a 40-year-old non-binary teacher and typhoon survivor, on a road trip to fame. With surreal comedy and social portrait realism, filmmaker Seán‌ Devlin explores climate change, LGBTQ+ issues.

12. ANDRAGOGY (Original Title: Budi Pekerti)

Andragogy is a 2023 drama film written and directed by Wregas Bhanuteja. The film stars Sha Ine Febriyanti as a school teacher whose reputation and career prospects get jeopardized after a video of her confronting a line-cutter goes viral.

13. KANTARA  (2022)

Rishab Shetty is an actor and filmmaker in the Kannada film industry. His critically acclaimed blockbuster, ‘Kantara’ is set in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada. The film explores the ideological conflict between humans and nature. The co-existence of a tribe living with the forest will be hampered by a forest officer who feels certain practices and rituals followed by the tribe pose a threat to mother nature. Will the main character, Shiva, be able to reinstate peace and harmony in the village perceiving his existence forms the crux of the film.

14. SANAA (2023)

Sudhanshu Saria is a national award winning filmmaker. He made his feature film debut with a queer road-trip romance titled ‘Love’ which was widely acclaimed at film festivals. In this movie, Sanaa, a 28-year-old financial advisor working in Mumbai finds out she is pregnant. Absolutely clear on her decision to terminate the pregnancy, the actual process of getting the abortion forces Sanaa to re-evaluate her life and delve deep if the choices she has been making have been really her own.

15. MIRBEEN (2023)

‘Mirbeen’, the Karbi feature film directed by Mridul Gupta and produced by Dhaniram Tisso, has been selected in the feature film category, the only film from Assam to find place in the prestigious forum.

Mirbeen is the central character of this story. In her childhood, her grandmother instills in her the dream of doing something with the fairy tales of Serdihun (God of textile in Karbi tribal beliefs), which sprouts the desire to make life meaningful in her mind. But fratricidal clashes and ethnic conflicts make the entire Karbi land bloody in 2005 and her life is also jeopardized.

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Manoj Bajpayee, Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K, Apoorva Bakshi, & Srikrishna Dayal at 54th IFFI

24 November 2023, IFFI Premises: Today, Manoj Bajpayee, Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K, Apoorva Bakshi, and Srikrishna Dayal attended a Master Class session on Crafting Compelling Web Series for OTT at 54 IFFI, Goa.

Manoj Bajpayee's Communiqué, "OTT platforms should support independent and creative filmmaking."

Pritish Bagdi

From L to R: Host Naman Ramachandran, Apoorva Bakshi, Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K., Mr. Manoj Bajpayee, Mr. Srikrishna Dayal

Manoj Bajpayee, a cinematic beacon of brilliance, unravelled an actor's intriguing journey. He painted the canvas of an actor's goal and passion to breathing life into a character with his words, emphasising the critical necessity of preparation, consistency, character graph, and embracing the flow that challenges and enriches every actor's essence. "You have to prepare well for the role and then forget about it to keep your mind empty to be receptive to new ideas coming," he went on to say.

The Family Man actor, speaking on the success, shortcomings, and future of OTT, stated that OTT platforms should encourage independent creative films.

Srikrishna Dayal, a theatrical maestro and another prominent performer in The Family Man series, spoke of the symbiotic relationship between the stage and the digital canvas of OTT, remarking that the most significant benefit of OTT platforms is regular watching. He stated that the discipline learned in the theatre allows players to grow in their versatility across many genres of acting.

Raj Nidimoru, co-director of the OTT Series The Family Man, highlighted the tremendous impact of documentaries on the ever-changing OTT landscape, reflecting the feelings of a shifting paradigm. He emphasised the importance of these storylines on the platform.

Krishna D.K., co-director of the OTT Series The Family Man, has created a canvas of continual learning, unlearning, and relearning that has assisted in traversing the spectrum of independent filmmaking, shows, and series for the OTT platform.

Raj and D.K., the dynamic director team, extolled their indie filmmaking background as a springboard for their work on OTT, and it distinctively shapes their creativity on the platform. They underlined the importance of story confidence in pushing for compelling storytelling even while working within budget limits.

Apoorva Bakshi, who came from a banking background to produce the acclaimed 'Delhi Crime' series, emphasised the importance of faith in the script, explaining the basics for story engineering in both fiction and non-fiction genres. Extending on the preparation of a pitch for a new series called Bible in the OTT environment, I demonstrated the need of a clear idea note in fiction, as well as a well-crafted pilot, and the importance of comprehensive research in non-fiction genres.

The teaser for Manoj Bajpayee's next opus Joram was also shown at the end of the event, enticing spectators with promises of yet another cinematic marvel.

Notably, IFFI has created the Best Web Series (OTT) Award this year to recognise the creativity and talent behind the burgeoning digital entertainment. This year, 32 entries from 15 OTT platforms were received in 10 languages. The winning series will receive certificates and a monetary award of Rs.10 lakhs, which will be disclosed during the closing ceremony.

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