Will Hrithik play Buddha?
Shyam Benegal clears the air about his grand project and also talks about the MAMI fest
When you are in a soup, blame it on the Mumbai traffic. That’s exactly what filmmaker and chairman of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) did as he apologised to have kept the media waiting for more than an hour. We caught up with him to know more about MAMI’s 10th International Film Festival that kickstarts on March 6, 2008, across multiple screens in the city.
How will this time be different from the previous MAMI festivals? How has it grown over the years?
The very fact that we have started showcasing films from one to seven screens speaks for itself. This year, the festival is special in many ways. We will be screening 140 films from 45 countries in three theatres in the city (Adlabs Wadala, Metro Adlabs and Cinemax Versova). This time around, the Global Lifetime Achievement Award has been instituted which will be awarded to an international director for his/her contribution to the world cinema. The first award will be conferred to Carlos Saura, the renowned Spanish director who will be flying in to attend the function. The festival rounds off on March 13 with the award function.
What are the other highlights of the festival?
Besides Saura, a panel of film directors from Mexico, France and European countries is expected to attend the closing gala night. The festival will celebrate the 50th year of Academy Award-winning Polish film director Andrzej Wajda’s legendary film Kanal by a special screening of the film. The filmmaker in focus, Carlos Saura’s eight films including Carmen will be screened. To top it all, the festival will organise Ritwik Ghatak and Andrzej Wajda retrospective.
Tell us about the array of films to be screened this year.
Our film selection committee has selected the best of the lot from Switzerland, Brazil, China, Bulgaria, Egypt, Czech Republic, Columbia, France, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Korea, Japan, Israel, Mexico, Lebanon, Bangladesh and so on…. We have tried to procure films, which may not have been successful commercially but have been able to leave a mark for the excellence in technique or ideas.
Is there any film from Pakistan on the list?
I have been told there was a film from Pakistan called Ramchandra Hindustani. But the producer backed out at the last hour for some unknown reason.
The film list also shows an interesting addition of the Italian silent film Pinocchio…
Yeah, we will be showcasing Pinocchio, which was made in 1911. The film has been restored and this is certainly going to be one of the attractions of the festival. Based on the famous Collodi’s novel, the film will be screened with live music. The whole affair has been sponsored by the Italian Consulate, Mumbai.
What happened to the short film contest, Dimensions Mumbai, announced by MAMI a month ago?
Dimensions Mumbai will henceforth be a permanent feature of the festival. We have postponed the last date of submission, which is March 1, 2008. Under this programme digital films of five-minute duration, depicting various aspects of life in Mumbai has been invited. This is an initiative to inspire more filmmakers (not more than 25 years of age) to come up with innovative ideas. The best entry will be given a cash prize of Rs 1,50,000 while the second and third prize will be worth Rs 30,000 and
Rs 20,000 respectively.
What is happening on the personal front?
I am busy completing my forthcoming film Mahadev Ka Sajjanpur, which is set in a village, where there are cell phones, television and even Internet. But literacy is still low. Shreyas Talpade plays an educated man who makes a living as a letter writer. This leads to interesting and comical situations because he becomes a confidante of the villagers. It’s a wonderful situational comedy. Amrita Rao happens to be Shreyas’ love interest.
Would you like to reveal something about your mega project Buddha? Is it true that you have already signed on Hrithik Roshan to play Buddha in the film?
Well, we are still working on the script of the film and I have no plans to talk about the cast until we are done with it. It’s an Indo-Sri Lankan project, which we are planning on a grand scale. We need time to sketch out every detail of the film including the cast. I shall start working on the project once I am done with Mahadev Ka Sajjanpur.
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