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A
slot at Cannes
The protracted Indian
drought came to an end amid a steady drizzle this year at the 65th
Cannes Film Festival. Indications are that this is only a new
beginning — there could be more on the way
Saibal Chatterjee
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HE
persistent rain of the past two days had ceased. But the sky over
Cannes was still cloudy and sombre as the Gangs of Wasseypur
came calling. The buzz was warm as film enthusiasts queued up outside
JW Marriott's Theatre Croisette, for a marathon screening of Anurag
Kashyap’s two-part gangster epic. Never before in history had the
Directors’ Fortnight screened a film this long.
A
new star twinkles
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Egyptians
were original cat breeders
THE
mystery about how cats went from running in the wild to becoming our
domesticated furry friends may have been solved after analysing the
genetic makeup of Egyptian cat mummies. The results of a study of the
DNA from the remains of ritually slaughtered animals found in tombs
have suggested that ancient Egyptians were the first to breed the
domestic cats, according to The Sunday Times.
A
whiff of Punjab in Portugal
Shyam
Bhatia describes a fortuous meeting with Raj, a fellow Punjabi
in Vale Do Lobo, Portugal, and the bond that developed between them
Portugal
is rarely a destination of choice for most Indian visitors who have so
much to choose from during a visit to the European continent. Many
prefer the more familiar sights of Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower
or the Coliseum in Rome. But for those who persevere, Portugal has all
kinds of hidden charms and tourist pleasures that duly reward the
brave and adventurous.
The
beauty of Sundarbans
For people who live in the
cacophonous, media-flooded, poster-flushed ambience of the city, a
visit to the Sundarbans is like visiting paradise on earth
Shoma A. Chatterji
AS
we sailed across the river on a pretty little steamer in the
Sundarbans in West Bengal, there is our first encounter with an
aquatic animal. We spot a water monitor – a smaller form of the
crocodile family – creep around one of the shores. There is also a
huge crocodile slowly making its way through the slush near the banks.
By evening, the motorboat anchors
on the banks of Bali village.
Stars buck up on
production
John Abraham recently
hit the jackpot with his Vicky Donor. Passion or a passing
fancy, creative dynamics or sheer desperation to stay in the race,
here’s a look at what is it that attracts stars to the tensions of
film production
Deepa Karmalkar
HE struggles, gets the
big break and attains star status. He’s suddenly inundated with film
offers; producers are willing to wager huge amounts on his talent and
star appeal. Money is pouring in, fans are swooning over him and lady
luck is truly smiling upon him. Just then, he realises that he can use
his new-found brand equity to make a film of his liking.
‘I
enjoy going against the grain’
Dibakar Banerjee, who is
credited with beginning a new trend in Hindi cinema, is back with his
latest film Shanghai, a political thriller
Surekha Kadapa-Bose
There
is something very earthy about all his work, and the reason for him
winning the prestigious and most-coveted National Awards — Best Film
in 2007 (Khosla Ka Ghosla) and Most Popular Film in 2009 (Oye
Lucky Lucky Oye). How many young directors can boast of winning
these prestigious awards for their debut and the next creation and get
credit for starting a new trend in cinema.
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