If its mid-January and you are an independent filmmaker with a project to shop, then all roads and air passages lead to Park City, Utah where the Sundance Film Festival premieres with attendant media hype. The festival, which started out life as a lacklustre attempt by Hollywood8217;s pseudo-intellectuals in 1976, as the dull titled US Film Festival, got appropriated by Robert Redford8217;s Sundance Institute in 1982.
It was a few years later that it gained international appeal with the stunning debut of Steven Sodderberg8217;s Sex Lies And Videotape, a film that marked the arrival of the American-Indie production as a viable option to Hollywood box office domination. Subsequently, the festival has become a Mecca for indie wannabes and last year over 10,000 braved snow storms to trek to this wasteland city in search of cinematic nuggets. In 1996, the festival broadened its vista to include international feature productions, an important event in that it allowed a window to non-US films to a largely US audience.This year the prodigious Indian movie industry is represented by Santosh Sivan with his spectacular and brutal portrait of the human-bomb, in The Terrorist. Ayesha Dharkar could soon find herself being wooed by the men in suits in La-La Land, as news of her performance spreads. The Terrorist is already one of the hottest tickets at the festival and Sivan8217;s maverick turn as cinematographer-director is being touted for a special jury mention. Writing about the film, reviewer Andrea Alsberg waxes, quot;The film is awash with sensuality. Sivan mutes his colour scheme to simulate a rich cyanotype. Often the only sound we hear is Malli8217;s Ayesha Dharkar breath and the close-ups of her face, humid with the pain of emotional awakening, documented by the photographer capturing the look of modern martyrdom, remain long with us after the film8217;s end.quot;
There was much celebration amongst the Bohemian South-Asian community when Rajika Puri wife of McKinsey head Anupam Tino8217; Puri returned from her artist stintin Mumbai to New York city last September. Rajika is a major force in the cultural life of the Big Apple and as a danseuse, actor and creative spirit she has graced many productions on the stage and screen. This week she is off to Rome to visit the set of her close friend and mentor Julie Taymor8217;s new feature film Titus amp; Andronicus. Taymor is the multi-Tony award-winning director of Broadway productions and was the genius behind the Lion King extravaganza. Gushed Rajika, quot;Julie is the one who brought me into the theatre and I adore her for her talent. From theatre she has moved on to films and is today one of the most sought after names. With this film she is breaking new ground in using the latest animation software and is using it not to create monsters but to create Art!quot; The film stars Jessica Lange and Anthony Hopkins and is due for release later this year. Taymor also has a project with Rajika in mind. Titled Transposed Heads the film8217;s lead character is called Rajika quot;but withmulti-million dollar financing they will probably get Whoopi Goldberg to play the part originally written for me,quot; laughs this sultry beauty. Other activity in her life includes the role of the lead witch in Ron Daniel8217;s new production of Macbeth being readied for the Theatre of New Audiences. quot;I was invited to audition and performed a piece I had recently worked on with Jiten Merchant in Mumbai and voila! They called me a few days later and said I had the part! It8217;s going to be a hoot to play the lead witch.quot; Another of Rajika8217;s cultural activities is being involved with the recently set up India Council for the Arts. quot;The idea is to bring groundbreaking work and talent for showcase in Manhattan.quot; The Council8217;s current event is a screening of the recent Shabana Azmi film Godmother and the temperamental diva is in New York to take a bow.
Arriving this weekend in India 8212; first Delhi, then Bombay 8212; is Stefano Celesti, producer and recent collaborator with the RK banner. quot;I8217;m just hopping overto New Delhi to attend the premiere of the movie,quot; says Celesti in his sexy Italian drawl, quot;and then to take in the splendours of Rajasthan and Gujarat with my friend Umang Hutthising the industrious art collector and cultural ambassador from Ahmedabad.quot; Celesti, who thoroughly enjoyed working with the Kapoor khandaan in this new venture, loves Indian cinema and is looking for more opportunities to work in collaboration with Indian producers who plan to shoot in America. He himself plans to don the directorial cape soon and will visit the sets of the Merchant Ivory team currently in India, whom he has worked with in the past.
On a final filmi note. Check out the fantastic new website where you can create your own movie on-line! Releasing officially on January 21, this has to be the cutest innovation for all amateur film enthusiasts. It allows the user to create a movie themselves, choosing from a cast of characters, backgrounds and actions and allows them to write in dialogue, etc. It8217;sincredible! There is nothing like it on the web yet! You can even mail the movies to other people. The site also contains tons of quot;quicktimequot; movies, interviews with directors and lots of information about the digital film revolution. So check it out .
Riyad Wadia, avant garde filmmaker, is curently at home in New York.
6 min read 
