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MISMFF 2022, 06: Sweat, anxiety, sleepless nights and dedicated hard work 44284u
MISMFF 2022, 06: Sweat, anxiety, sleepless nights and dedicated hard work A film festival cannot be held without a team of dedicated organisers and workers. Many of them spend sleepless nights, are at a high level of anxiety months before the event and spend sleepless nights, once the inauguration date approaches. This is true of the Mestia International Short & Mountain Film Festival (MISMFF) too. And if the team is relatively small, as is the case at MISMFF, the responsibilities a...
MISMFF 2022, 05: Silence! Here comes the Founder-Director, Dr. Khatuna Khundadze: Exclusive interview, by Siraj Syed 5l49e
MISMFF 2022, 05: Silence! Here comes the Founder-Director, Dr. Khatuna Khundadze: Exclusive interview, by Siraj Syed Q.: How was the first festival conceived and why? A: If you are in Georgia, in Mestia, and standing on the Terrace Theatre, the first word that come to you will be “mountain”. In Georgia, and in the Caucasus, there was no mountain film festival. I, and my partner, Gegi Paliani, there should be a mountain film festival, and so ...
Karthikeya 2, Review: “Ptolemy told me” 6f6f8
Karthikeya 2, Review: “Ptolemy told me” A pilgrimage for followers of Lord Krishna, and a mosaic of breath-taking locales awaits those who venture into theatre territory and buy tickets to see Karthikeya 2. Add to that some impressive VFX and animation. That’s the good news. The bad news is that there is little else to justify making of the film per se. Combining religious events that occurred 5118 years ago, and much earlier, with a present day atheist doctor, it chronicles...
Laal Singh Chaddha, Review: A run for your money, in branded underwear 2ok41
Laal Singh Chaddha, Review: A run for your money, in branded underwear It’s been fifteen years after Aamir Khan acted in and directed Taare Zameen Par, about a dyslexic child, and 28 years after Tom Hanks captivated our hearts as Forrest Gump, who had an IQ of 75 and needed braces to correct what was believed to be a curved spine. In 2022, here comes a film that is the official remake of Forrest Gump. It could be among the warmest, heart-tugging tales you’ve heard being told, or i...
Odd Couple, Review: Tying the not 4j13e
Odd Couple, Review: Tying the not It’s nice to be taken by surprise, especially if the film is not a suspense thriller. And Odd Couple does just that. Borrowing its title from the 1965 Neil Simon comedy play, The Odd Couple, made into a film (1968) starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, in which one of the two bosom friends does all the household chores that you would normally associate with a woman, this film has the man, of a man-woman couple, doing the laundry and the cooking, and ...
Haryana, Review: But for Alia 504v73
Haryana, Review: But for Alia She is not in the film. Reading the names of the cast, you will realise and confirm this fact. But then why this head-line? Because Alia Bhatt is the premise of almost one-third of the film, the last one third, that is, and her name is mentioned at least 100 times in the dialogue. Now that is not fair, you might grumble. The film is titled Haryana, isn’t it? Well, there is a lot of Haryana and a lot of Aliana in the movie. A well-intentioned film, with seve...
Bullet Train, Review: Brad luck Pitt b2n4h
Bullet Train, Review: Brad luck Pitt A Japanese book adapted into an American film, with Brad Pitt in the leading role, set on a high speed train, with armed and dangerous Mafia agents and gangsters on board, seems to be the menu for a high-octane entertainer. And for once, a film delivers most of what it promises. It is a quaint mix of mayhem, mirth and thrills. Bullet Train re-works the gangster genre with a twist that is so obvious that you wonder why did nobody think of it before. And tha...
MISMFF 2022, 04: Announcing the Jury for the 2022 film festival o61h
MISMFF 2022, 04: Announcing the Jury for the 2022 film festival With the Mestia International Short & Mountain Film Festival a fortnight away, we present the esteemed Jury that will officiate this year, and pick the winners. HERVÉ SCHNEID, ACE. Award-winning editor, Hervé Schneid is one of the most respected editors working in films today. He has collaborated with a number of directors, including Sally Potter, Lars Von Trier, Mike Figgis, Regis Wargnier, Bille August, Jea...
MISMFF 2022, 03: The 2021 five-member Jury, which makes way for the 2022 five 4t3n36
MISMFF 2022, 03: The 2021 five-member Jury, which makes way for the 2022 five An eminent five-member Jury judged the entries at the Mestia International Short & Mountain Film Festival (MISMFF) last year. As usual, judging is an onerous, albeit honourable, task. These were the five. You will meet the 2022 Jury in this column. Just wath this space. ...
Ek Villain Returns, Review: V for Villain, Q for Qiran 6f1b32
Ek Villain Returns, Review: V for Villain, Q for Qiran What do you call a serial killer? An Assistant Commissioner of Police, at a public forum, shows a picture of Rakesh Mahadkar, the serial killer in Ek Villain (2014), calls him “A “Villain,” as if Archimedes’ spirit has entered his body and he actually wanted to say “Eureka!” That does not mean that the new serial killer will get caught in the next few seconds. No way. It will be six months before he is ...
Vikrant Rona, Review: Ducking in 3D 5c4ez
Vikrant Rona, Review: Ducking in 3D Exotic, lush green locales and serial killing do not go together, but here they do. Vikrant Rona is the name of the protagonist (or is it?), the second part of which, ‘rona’, means ‘crying’ in Hindustani. The ‘n’ is pronounced more harshly in the film, so it is not exactly ‘rona’ but roȠa (approximation). The makers decided to retain this name from the original Kannada, although it could have easily been chan...
Trailer launch of Dobaaraa: EK and SK hands with SK and AK in remake of Mirage 2p1j71
Trailer launch of Dobaaraa: EK and SK hands with SK and AK in remake of Mirage K is a constant, and most of Ektaa R. Kapoor’s TV and film forays have had titles beginning with the letter k. As have the films of Rakesh Roshan. Exceptions prove the rule, and Dobaaraa is one such vehicle. The other ‘k’s in the picture are Sunir Kheterpal (co-producer) and Anurag Kashyap (the director). The trailer of Dobaaraa was dropped on 27 July at PVR Icon Multiplex, Citi Mall, Andheri...
MISMFF 2022, 02: Georgia’s rich film heritage and list of 2021 festival winners 1o1s2y
MISMFF 2022, 02: Georgia’s rich film heritage and list of 2021 festival winners While the countdown has begun for the second Mestia International Short & Mountain Film Festival (MISMFF), some interesting facts about Georgia deserve mention. Documentary films have been made in Georgia since 1908, though the first feature was made in 1916. There was a period when 150 feature films and documentaries were shot a year, in a country of merely five million people. Indians were really exp...
Crash Course Trailer launch and Press Conference: Puppets on a chain 1t594y
Crash Course Trailer launch and Press Conference: Puppets on a chain From ambitions, aspirations and rivalry, to forging everlasting friendships... the trailer of Amazon Prime Video’s new OTT show, Crash Course, was launched at the R.D. National College’s Hekandbai Hall, Bandra, Mumbai, on 24 July. Created by Manish Hariprasad and directed by Vijay Maurya, Crash Course is produced by Owlet Films. It is set in Kota, Rajasthan and explores the twists of student life, after leaving s...
MISMFF 2022, 01: Film fest returns to the Mysterious, Magical Mountains of Mestia, Georgia 5p341o
MISMFF 2022, 01: Film fest returns to the Mysterious, Magical Mountains of Mestia, Georgia Confession: I had not heard about Mestia at all till I learnt about the Mestia International Short & Mountain Film Festival (MISMFF). And it is already in its second edition! So, where is Mestia? Mestia is a municipality, a ‘townlet’ in western Georgia, in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. Mestia, as well as the whole Svaneti, has a very old history. Distinguished by its amazing, beauti...
Branded in History, By Ramya Ramamurthy, a Hachette Publication: Review – Loads of Brands, Lots of History 4f53z
Branded in History, By Ramya Ramamurthy, a Hachette Publication: Review – Loads of Brands, Lots of History While reading Branded in History, you often wonder how in heavens could she squeeze in so many brands, dates, statistics and quotes, in a mere 292 pages? That achievement lends itself to a text-book or thesis format, rather than a compilation of the highlights in the fields of brands and branding in pre-independence India, which she says she aims to chronicle. It eventually emerges...
Case Toh Banta Hai, Trailer Launch and Press Conference: Courting laughter 2a3l3y
Case Toh Banta Hai, Trailer Launch and Press Conference: Courting laughter Trials and tribulations continue on the web. The genre has attracted Banijay Asia production house to create a show based on weird and ludicrous allegations levelled against film personalities that are debated and judged by TV/film/web veterans. A 'notice' of things to come was served to us today at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, Juhu, Mumbai. Some of the persons associated with the show were present, and many others...
Ladki – Enter the Girl Dragon, Review: Girl, drag on 3p5m5o
Ladki – Enter the Girl Dragon, Review: Girl, drag on It will take some jogging of the memory to recall any film wherein the auteur has showcased his heroine and/or his muse from the beginning till the end. While at it, you could also try and recall any film in which the lead actress is seen in the skimpiest of bikinis, and keeps splashing water or wading in it all through the film. Ladki - Enter the Girl Dragon, an Indo-Chinese co-production, by writer-director Ram Gopal Varma, is osten...
Amazon Prime Video shows trailer of Comicstaan Season 3 to select audience, and the joke is on you! 711qk
Amazon Prime Video shows trailer of Comicstaan Season 3 to select audience, and the joke is on you! At the Mahi Banquet Hall of J.W. Marriott Hotel, Juhu, Mumbai, the makers of Comicstaan Season 3 promised that it will bring three times the fun, and will be bigger and grander, with a new co-host and new format. Comicstaan Season 3 will see Zakir Khan, Neeti Palta, Kenny Sebastian and Sumukhi Suresh take the judge’s seats, while Rahul Subramanian (I thought I heard his name being annou...
Titu Ambani, Review: Titular harakiri m4734
Titu Ambani, Review: Titular harakiri You cannot but help notice it. You cannot even overlook it. It is so much in your face. After all, it is the title of the film. And it has nothing to do with the film. India’s richest person is Mukesh Ambani, for a few years in a row, and he also features closely behind the top ten wealthiest persons in the world. In one scene, the lead actor of the film says, “Ambani is Ambani because he has his hand in so many pies.” Very true. No disp...
Shehzade Hunar Ke: The princes and princesses of talent, picked from 30 cities 2c42h
Shehzade Hunar Ke: The princes and princesses of talent, picked from 30 cities How long does it take to put together a reality show that picks the best of dancers, singers and models, all-in-one, from across India? Well, for starters, it takes ten years of preparation, if one goes by the time spent by Fame & Glory Media Pvt. Ltd. To launch Shehzade Hunar Ke (literal translation: Princes of Talent). And even the elimination rounds have not yet begun! It turned out to be one of the wettest...
Minions-The Rise of Gru, Review: One in a minion 2n2b67
Minions-The Rise of Gru, Review: One in a minion Minion and Villain don’t rhyme. They shouldn’t. After all, what is a primary school kid doing? Yes, he is almost a dwarf, and we would love to see his rise. But rise as what? An arch-villain? A super-villain? There are some movies in which good, clean, animation fun turns into adult stuff that can affect the mind-set of millions of viewers. Films need not preach or moralise, but they need not glorify villainy either. This is one suc...
Hachette’s The Bollywood Pocket Book Series, A 4-in-1 Set, by Diptakirti Chauduri: Get set 4c5f2k
Hachette’s The Bollywood Pocket Book Series, A 4-in-1 Set, by Diptakirti Chauduri: Get set Yes, it’s a pun. I mean you should get the set, buy the book, or rather, books. They look deceptively thin when ensconced in the hardcover box, but provide a substantial reading once you pull them out. Book one is about Iconic Dates, with Raj Kapoor and Nargis on the cover, under an umbrella. The author reminds us about the calendar of events that begin with Raja Harishchandra’s releas...
ATxSG, 2: Post-event Official Press Release 1v1al
ATxSG, 2: Post-event Official Press Release Twelve days after the conclusion of Asia Tech x Singapore, which ended on 03 June, there came a press release by email. It is reproduced here, with minimal editing. As Singapore’s largest technology event since the reopening of its borders, ATxSG brought together 16,600 hybrid (live and online) attendees from 93 countries and regions and 26,000 event visits (this includes repeat visitors). The Singapore Expo, located near the Changi airport ...
Medium Spicy, Review: Only medium, not spicy 302s1i
Medium Spicy, Review: Only medium, not spicy This had to be a new take on love. In its promotion, the makers of the film Medium Spicy (in Marathi language) quoted from William Shakespeare’s all-time love classic, Romeo and Juliet, “Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake – it is everything except what it is!” – Act 1 Scene 1. The movie begins with a reunion party of former catering college students, where liquor ...
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About Siraj Syed 2b312x
 Syed Siraj
(Siraj Associates)
Siraj Syed is a film-critic since 1970 and a Former President of the Freelance Film Journalists' Combine of India. 6h282g
He is the India Correspondent of FilmFestivals.com and a member of FIPRESCI, the international Federation of Film Critics, Munich, 4y1467
Siraj Syed has contributed over 1,015 articles on cinema, international film festivals, conventions, exhibitions, etc., most recently, at IFFI (Goa), MIFF (Mumbai), MFF/MAMI (Mumbai) and CommunicAsia (Singapore). He often edits film festival daily bulletins. 5x5d5m
He is also an actor and a dubbing artiste. Further, he has been teaching media, acting and dubbing at over 30 institutes in India and Singapore, since 1984. 5d2f62
Bandra West, Mumbai
Send me a message
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