The 2011 Indian Film Festival: Bollywood & Beyond (IFF) has commenced with a highly successful opening weekend that has included gala celebrations, sold out screenings and Q& A sessions and even the breaking of the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for Bollywood dancing. The IFF welcomed seven of the finest filmmaking and acting talents in Indian cinema to the country for its Sydney and Melbourne openings – acclaimed multi award-winning actress Vidya Balan; actor/producer, pop star and supermodel Malaika Arora Khan; Pakistani pop sensation and new acting talent, Ali Zafar; directors Kabir Khan (Kabul Express); and Raj Kumar Gupta (Aamir); actor turned producer Arbaaz Khan; and producer Leslee Udwin (East is East).
On Saturday 12 March as part of IFF the festival created a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for ‘Largest Bollywood Dance’ when over 1500 Melbournians danced in unison for three mins to break the existing record. Bollywood dancers from the renowned Shiamak Davar Dance Academy alongside the general public shook it to the biggest chartbuster of 2010, the hit song Muuni Bandam Hui which Malaika Arora Khan performs in, DABANGG, the highest grossing film Indian film in 2010 which opened IFF to great acclaim in Melbourne. It was according to Festival director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, ‘a magical moment’ when the Guinness adjudicator declared the results and presented the prestigious certificate. ‘We recognise the sheer joy and exuberance that people experience when watching Bollywood films, and it was wonderful to create this out-of-cinema event for 1500 Bollywood fans.’
Another highlight was a meeting between Masterchef’s Matt Preston, actress Vidya Balan, director Raj Kumar Gupta and producer Leslee Udwin. Masterchef is one of the highest rating non-Hindi programs on Indian TV with Matt Preston an absolute superstar in India.
Upcoming highlights of the national festival include the arrival of festival guests, actor/producer Juhi Chawla and director Onir (My Brother… Nikhil) whose film I AM, an innovative exploration of some of the issues facing modern Indian society was financed by donations from more than 400 people from around the world through social media sites such as Facebook, allowing the creators the freedom to tackle normally taboo subjects.
I AM will close the IFF in Sydney on 19 March and Melbourne on 20 March and is the opening night film in Adelaide where the festival kicks off on Tuesday 22 March. The Hon. Mike Rann MP, Premier of South Australia, will officially launch the festival in Adelaide.
IFF tours Sydney (9-19 March), Melbourne (11-20 March), Adelaide (22-29 March) and Auckland (24 March to 3 April), showcasing the best of Indian cinema. The program screens over 30 diverse films including two world premieres, and 15 Australian premieres. The program celebrates the traditional Bollywood sequins and fantasy while demonstrating the depth of contemporary Indian film today.
With a few days to go in Sydney and Melbourne, Adelaide still to open and such a varied and exciting program, film lovers still have a lot to look forward to.
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