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 TIM MILFULL samples the cinematic delights on display at this year’s INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2008, taking place soon at Dendy Portside.
If you’re in the mood for some sub-continental fare, it’ll be worth the trip out to what soon will be Dendy’s only presence in Brisbane: Portside at Hamilton. The new cinemas have proven a solid centre of alternative cinema, and this latest festival is a perfect example.
 Opening night features food from Mint Indian Gourmet, Tiger Beer, Wines from Four Sisters Estate, a special appearance by Bollywood beloved Tania Zaetta, and an after-party at Byblos Bar – oh, and there’ll be a film as well, in the form of Taare Zameen Par, starring one of the superstars of Indian cinema, Amir Khan, who directs as well as stars in the film. With the English title Stars On Earth, and the tagline “Every Child is Special”, you could be forgiven for thinking Taare Zameen Par is just another sickly sentimental Bollywood outing, but you’d be wrong. Khan’s feature certainly has its saccharine moments, but the story of a little boy flourishing in the face of adversity is quite challenging in parts.
Darsheel Safary plays the boy in question, Ishaan Awashti, a delightfully absent-minded little fellow who happily lives in his own wonderful world, where painting, playing and imagination rule. But in a family and school environment that expects nothing short of perfection, and slots their children firmly and early into the rat-race, Ishaan soon falls foul of expectation. In the face of schooling failure, and despite his adoring mother’s protestation, Ishaan is bundled off to boarding school by his father. The school is set in the beautiful hills around Mumbai, but Ishaan soon begins to fade – he has a learning disability that no one has picked up. Fortunately, substitute teacher Nikumbh (Amir Khan) recognises some tell-tale signs, and things begin to look up. Safary’s performance as the struggling Ishaan is simply extraordinary – even this grizzled old reviewer found himself shedding more than one tear.
There were no tears in Jab We Met, however; in fact, at one point there was a risk of hands reaching into the screen to throttle the intensely annoying Geet (Kareena Kapoor). Occasionally, it’s obvious that Aditya (Shahid Kapur) is considering a similar tactic, as the gabbling Geet harries Aditya from one corner of northern India to the next. Of course, veteran Bollywood fans will detect elements of their favourite genre here, especially in a dysfunctional relationship that hints something more substantial will emerge by the end of the film.
Jab We Met pits the wealthy industrialist Aditya against consummate airhead Geet, as the former tries to escape a doomed relationship, and the latter plunges headlong into one. Despite their differences, the two form a bond, and in the best traditions of Bollywood, travel to exotic locales, sing and dance wildly, and totter into ridiculous situations. It’s hard not to be sucked into the boundless energy of Jab We Met’s song-and-dance, however – the hours just fly by.
Festival-goers looking for something a little more substantial should consider Jodhaa Akbar, an epic story of love triumphing in the face of politics, religion and danger. Set in sixteenth-century Hindustan ruled by Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar (played by Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan), and starring Aishwarya Rai as the headstrong Rajasthani princess Jodhaa, this is an epic and lushly realised period piece. Courting accusations of historical inaccuracy, director Ashutosh Gowariker forges into a period where one man sought to unite many disparate entities divided by enmity and religion. The result is fascinating and compelling, with a relationship that begins through political expediency, and ends in love.
The INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2008: A TASTE OF INDIAN CINEMA takes place Oct 16-19 at Dendy Portside. More info at www.dendy.com.au
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