The UK welcomes PEEPLI [LIVE]

It is time for nervous butterflies to flutter in superstar Aamir Khan's tummy once again this month as he continues to promote the release of 'Peepli Live' in UK theatres this Friday (September 24). Despite the normal concern generated by any film release, it should be stated that 'Peepli Live', directed by journalist and filmmaker Anusha Rizvi, has already been applauded in numerous film festivals across the world (Sundance - USA, Berlin and Melbourne) and has been selected as India's official entry to the Oscars.

The film was previously released in India during Ramadaan and produced rave reviews from the Indian media and viewers, who were seduced by Rizvi's satiric script and a cast mainly made up of unknown actors in the world of Indian films. The unique formula behind the film's success seems to come from a combination of several elements ranging from an unusual but captivating script and a sound marketing strategy to the fact that Rizvi is herself a member of the media (which the screenplay focuses on) and of course that the film is associated with Aamir Khan, who the audience invariably associates with quality cinema.

The success of 'Peepli Live' throughout India has indeed resulted in the recovery of the film's production costs through the sole sale of its satellite rights almost immediately. Additionally, it motivated more than 500 villages named Peepli to write to producer Aamir Khan, thanking him for producing a film that placed the name 'Peepli' in the spotlight.

If you happen to live in the UK, make it a point not to miss this comic and touching moment of entertainment. For information on screenings in London and other UK theatres click here.

Visit the Peepli Live official website
Buy the Peepli Live soundtrack
Read our earlier blogpost on 'Peepli Live' at the Sundance Film Festival - including a video interview with Aamir Khan by thehollywoodreporter


Director: Anusha Rizvi
Screenwriter: Anusha Rizvi
Cast: Omkar Das, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Raghuvir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa
Produced by: Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao
Coproducer: Ronnie Screwvala
Background score: Mathias Duplessy
Soundtrack: Indian Ocean

I-VIEW South Asia in New York 2010

If South Asia is your pick, from visual arts to fashion, from music to cinema, from to politics to human rights... the Big Apple's I-VIEW FESTIVAL will cater to that and more!

Organized by Engendered, the film festival focuses on exploring gender, sexuality, culture and religion through South Asian cinema, offering a rich program of events for the glee of those wanting to delve deep into meaningful subjects, arts and fashion.

This year's edition will take place from September 18-26th in Manhattan and will start with a bang by opening with Duane Baughman's 'Bhutto'  (Sundance official selection) and acclaimed director Onir Anirban's ('My Brother Nikhil', 'Bas Ek Pal') most recent film, 'I Am', starring reputed actors who will attend the festival's inauguration together with other icons of modern South Asian cinema:

Juhi Chawla,

Sanjay Suri,

Purab Kohli,

Raima Sen,

Rahul Bose,

Arjun Mathur,

Rituparno Ghosh,

Vishal Bhardwaj,

Abhishek Chaubey,

Arshad Warsi,

Zeenat Aman

Rituparna Sengupta,

Sabrina Dhawan

Actress Konkona Sen Sharma will attend a QandA session for the festival's closing, presenting her film 'Mirch' with director Vinay Shukla and Raima Sen as well as her own directorial debut, 'Naam Karan'.

The film festival also dedicates a retrospective to Aparna Sen, who will be attending the event.

Other films in the programme include 'Love Sex aur Dhoka', 'Maqbool', 'Ishqiya' and 'President is Coming' among an excellent selection ranging from Bollywood to independent cinema, short films or documentaries. For more information on the program and tickets, click here.

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL HAI!

Hindi cinema is all set to take Canada by storm as a series of Indian films have been programmed at the Toronto International Film Festival taking place from September 9 to 19, 2010.

Among the 300 films that have been selected for screening this 2010, the Toronto Film Festival has scheduled two world premieres of Hindi films: 'What's Your Raashee?' and 'Dil Bole Hadippa', which will be attended respectively by stars and directors such as Ashutosh Gowariker, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja.

Other films from India or the Indian diaspora that will be getting exposure during the renowned festival include:

'That Girl in Yellow Boots' (Anurag Kashyap) - From the acclaimed director of Dev D, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseerudin Shah. Trailer

'Dhobi Ghat' (Kiran Rao) The much awaited debut film of Kiran Rao, which has caught the eye of the Toronto Film Festival director, Cameron Bailey, starring Prateik Babbar and Aamir Khan. For an excellent account on the TIFF screening and the film, click here.

'Water' (Deepa Mehta) which released in 2005 and was nominated for an Oscar. Starring Sarala, Lisa Ray and John Abraham. Trailer

'Autumn' (Aamir Bashir)

'Soul of Sand' (Sidharth Srinivasan)

 

You may visit the TIFF official website for more information.