Films of Indian Origin

How can there be fun without movies? The forthcoming Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (January 7-9) will be preceded by a four-day film festival showcasing the works of famous diasporic filmmakers such as Deepa Mehta,Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadha as well as of lesser known ones like New York-based Shundell Prasad.

The 30 films,which will be screened at the India Habitat Centre,include Prasad’s Once More Removed that traces the migration of Indian labourers to the British Guyana during the latter half of the 19th century; Life Goes On,an indie film by London-based Sangeeta Datta; Bhavishya the Future on the struggle of an Indian doctor abroad by US-based Nikhil Kaushik; and Chandranile Chayakada a Malayalam film by Anish Babu Verghese on the suicides of Indian workers in the Gulf countries.

“When we speak of diasporic filmmakers,we recall only a handful of names. But this festival will reach out to lesser known people and give them a chance to connect with the Indian audience,” says Pankaj Dubey,co-director of the festival. There will also be seminars on the Punjabi diaspora of filmmakers in Canada and the UK and films on the Indian community. A lifetime achievement award will be conferred on Saeed Jaffrey.