Mary Kom to pack a punch in Toronto Priyanka Chopra has top billing at this years Toronto International Film Festival or TIFF, which will run from September 4-14. The Bollywood beauty is jetting in for just a few hours to attend the world premiere of her latest film Mary Kom on the festivals opening night, and flying right back for the films Indian release the next day. But even her brief presence for the premiere at an ornate theatre in downtown Toronto will add a strong dose of desi glamour to a film festival that routinely draws Hollywood heavyweights every year. Chopra is the biggest Bollywood star to show up at TIFF in recent years. But Cameron Bailey, the artistic director of TIFF, and programmer for south Asian films, hopes the audience will look beyond her star wattage at her powerful performance in and as Mary Kom, the unlikely champion boxer from Manipur. Bailey notes Priyanka doesnt resemble Kom, and yet comes across as a very convincing boxer. She doesnt have the same physical features, but she has the physical intensity, and I think the fact that shes clearly trained and prepared herself for the role makes it a film thats quite persuasive, says Bailey. After creating a sensation in Toronto by bringing in Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan for the premiere of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in 2006, TIFF has showcased several independent film-makers from India in recent years. Anurag Kashyap, a TIFF veteran, returns this year as a co-producer of Tigers. Directed by the Oscar-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanovic, and starring Emraan Hashmi and a mix of Indian and European actors in a film set in Pakistan, Tigers could be a sign of the future of Indian cinema, according to Bailey: Its exactly the kind of mix, the kind of blend thats going to lead to a very productive future for Indian film-making. Kashyaps former wife Kalki Koechlin will also make her presence felt at TIFF in Margarita, with a Straw. Its a film about the journey of self-discovery of a woman living with cerebral palsy, a story based on the life of the sister of the films director Shonali Bose. The only regional presence this year is the Tamil feature film, Kaakkaa Muttai or The Crows Egg, a debut effort by K. Manikandan. Its set in a Chennai slum and follows two young brothers in their effort to get their first taste of pizza. Two documentaries round out Indias presence at TIFF. Monsoon is a featurelength documentary by the Iceland-born film-maker Sturla Gunnarsson. Tracking the mighty Indian monsoon across the country, the film promises to be a feast for the eyes, shot in ultra high definition 4K. The 8-minute long Newborns, on the other hand, is Monsoons fiery opposite, a documentary about female survivors of acid attacks. The short film is produced by filmmaker Anand Gandhi and directed by Megha Ramaswamy. Hollywood stars expected at TIFF this year include Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Winslet, Denzel Washington and Tobey Maguire.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 09:16:16 +0000
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