Reel Calls

With over 50 films on various socio-political themes from eight South-Asian participating nations,the 5th edition of the annual South Asian Film Festival in the seaside locales of Goa,which began on September 17,has a lot of variety.

<>Films from Afghanistan are in focus at the 5th annual South Asian Film Festival in Goa
With over 50 films on various socio-political themes from eight South-Asian participating nations,the 5th edition of the annual South Asian Film Festival in the seaside locales of Goa,which began on September 17,has a lot of variety. We have chosen the films after a three-tier selection process where films are reviewed on the basis of performance in its home country. Most of these films have traveled to festivals and also meet the criteria of the central theme of the festival dissolving cultural boundaries, says Rahul Barua,secretary-general of the South Asia Foundation,a voluntary group dedicated to social ties in the South Asian region,and organisers of the festival.

Afghanistan is this years theme state at the festival. So films on issues like religious fanaticism,discrimination against minority communities and treatment of Afghan refugees are being screened during the four-day festival,besides other award-winning entries.

Afghan director Hamayoun Morowats opening film,An Apple from Paradise dealt with the twisted connotation of Islam by clerics and how they convert a young boy into a suicide bomber. Inspired by a true story,Morowats film will be accompanied by five other films from Afghanistan. Fellow director Mohamad Hasans 60-minute feature,Lalla Hindu,on the discrimination faced by Hindu-Sikh communities across Afghanistan,offers a historical perspective of the two ethnic communities living for decades in the region.

Among the 11 Indian films chosen for the festival,Delhi-based filmmaker Rajesh S Jalas Children of the Pyre is a prominent one. The narrative follows the occupational struggle of seven children on Benarass Manikarnika ghats who make their living by consigning dead bodies to the flames. I always wanted to make a film on Benaras but did not know what element to pick up. After following these kids for 18 months,I focused on their lives at the ghats and the challenges of having such a unique occupation, says Jala,whose film received the Special Jury mention at the 56th National Awards ceremony including the Best Documentary Award at Montreal World Film Festival in 2008. His other co-directed venture Beyond Tradition about Indias classical dancers,will also be showcased. Even debutant director Rakesh Mehta is gearing up to showcase his 70-minute feature Khuda Kushi,dealing with a section of the misguided youth among the Indian Muslims,who end up doing wrong deeds for a living. The film deals with two Muslim youths who are faced with insecurities. They end up getting brainwashed by people who take advantage of their weaknesses and hatch a plan to wreak havoc in Mumbai, says Mehta,who runs a part-time air cargo business in Delhi. The event is being attended by Indian directors like Shyam Benegal,Nagesh Kukunoor,Prakash Jha besides foreign delegates. This years edition also has a notable Pakistani presence with six films based on various stories from the Partition. It includes director Sharjil Balochs 48-minute,Gurmukh Sab ki Wasiyat,based on Sadaat Hasan Mantos short story about a retired judge who refuses to migrate to Pakistan during the Partition riots.The festival ends today. Contact: 2649-5827

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