Take time out for best of regional fare

Giving cinema lovers in the City a chance to enjoy the best of regional and Hindi films that have won National Film Awards for 2012, the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) has organised the screenings  of the winning films at Siri Fort Auditorium.

The weeklong festival that ends June 16 will be sh­ow­casing some of the best regional cinema.

Winner of the Best Marathi Film Investment directed by Ratnakar Matkari, which portrays the devastating effects of installing wrong values amongst children is a film to definitely spare time for.

You could also checkout Vikram Gokhale’s powerhouse performance in Anumati, which won for him a Rajat Kamal for Best Actor.

His portrayal of an old man, torn between allowing doctors to remove his dying wife’s life-support system and keeping her alive drew from the jury the citation for “a well calibrated performance that was maskedby remarkably subtle underplay.”

  Usha Jadhav’s heart-wrenching role of a rustic housewife in an unlikely setting of a cremation ground in Dhag by Shivaji Lotan Patil is another film that is not to be missed. The film won Jadhav not only her first National Award for Best Actress but also the Swarn Kamal for Patil.  

Another Marathi film to watch out for is Samhita, a complex story of inter-personal relationships which find themselves unfolding within a larger picture. The film is a must watch for its musical score for it bagged the Rajat Kamal for Best Music Direction (Songs).
 
Spirit directed by Ranjith Balakrishnan won the Best Feature film on Social Issues.

Featuring superstar Mohan Lal, the film highlights the ills of alcoholism.

On the other hand Black Forest by Joshy Mathew, which took home the trophy for Best Film on Environment Conservation is set in a tribal backdrop. The movie effectively advocates the urgent need for environment protection. The protagonists in the form of three children makes the film all the more acceptable.

The Best Malayalam Film Celluloid by Kamal revolves around the trials and tribulation of JC Daniel. Thanichalla Njan, a tale of communal harmony narrated through an in-house milieu, shows the bonding between a Hindu and a Muslim lady in a reciprocally accommodating relationship.

101 Chodyangal, which won for Minon the Best Child Artist Award and the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director for Sidharth Siva portrays a special relationship between a precocious child and his con­sci­entious school teacher.

Ustad Hotel that won Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Dialogue and Special Mention conveys the strong message of seeking realisation, compassion and contentment through service to the society at large.

All these gems and some more await you. For the schedule check out Pg 2, Metrolife edition, June 11.