Touched by Indian films

The ‘6th Bengaluru International Film Festival’ showcased a variety of movies for film-buffs.

Many directors and producers made their way to the festival — some from Finland, Iran, United States of America among others — for a better understanding of the background of the films. Metrolife spoke to some of these film-makers at the festival.

On her first visit to Bangalore, Taru Makela, the director of ‘August Fools’ which was screened at the festival, said, “I’m so glad to be getting a chance to watch some Indian and Asian films. I’m trying to make use of this opportunity because back in Finland, we don’t get to watch many Indian movies. But I must mention that I like the works of Satyajit Ray.”

According to Taru, Indian films revolve around social issues, which are deep-rooted.

“That’s how I feel about the films here. Our films are comedies or social satires with sharp humour,” she explained. Jouko Seppala, Taru’s husband and the cinematographer of the film, said, “I was apprehensive about how Indians would react to the film. I was wondering whether they would react like the Western audiences. But to my surprise, they enjoyed the jokes. Now I know the film has a universal appeal.”

Juoko, who has seen a couple of Indian films, said, “I don’t understand some of
the stories and the gestures. But one of the films that touched me was the Marathi film called Frandy.”

Talking about the film festival, the couple felt that the array of films catered to different sections.

“The selection is very good, especially since there is a good mix of Indian and European films. We are glad that our film has been screened on such a platform,” they said.

The director of ‘Hush...Girls Don’t Scream’, Pouran Derakhshandeh  came from Iran to attend the festival. “Although there are a lot of cultural differences between the
two countries, there are certain social issues that are common that we can relate to,” she said.  

Pouran, who was here for the first time, said that she is fond of Indian cinema.

“I like the works of Kamal Hassan and Shah Rukh Khan. Whenever I get a chance, I ensure that I catch up on some Hindi movies,” she noted. “There are many Iranians who love Indian cinema, the people and the culture. That’s why there are so many Iranians here,” she added. Commenting on the films being showcased at the festival, Pouran added, “Some of the works are amazing. Many of them are very moving.”