As the countdown to one of Mumbai's most loved film fests - Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star - begins, we put the spotlight on the interesting line-up of the second edition of its Movie Mela, which celebrates popular cinema.

“The Jio MAMI Mela is a film lover's ideal rendezvous to get inspired by some of the biggest names in the world of Indian cinema,“ says Nita Ambani (Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, and Co-Chairperson, Jio MAMI), adding, “Cinema is the 20th century's gift to the world of art and culture, and the Mela is our way of ensuring that we share the power and potential of this medium with as many people as possible.“

The Mela, which will be held on October 22 and 23, promises to be double the fun. In a mega treat for film buffs, the first look poster of the eagerly anticipated Bahubali 2: The Conclusion will be unveiled by the team behind the pan-Indian blockbuster. Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah, Anushka Shetty, director SS Rajamouli and producer Shobu Yarlagadda will share their vision for the sequel. They will also launch the teaser to a virtual reality spin-off film set around the world of Baahubali, and give the audience a sneak peek into a game and comic based on the epic franchise.

Also, in a major coup, the principal cast and crew of the much-loved classic Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar will reunite for the first time in 24 years at the Movie Mela. Director Mansoor Khan, Aamir Khan and Farah Khan (who made her debut as a choreographer with this film), along with Pooja Bedi, Mamik Singh, Deepak Tijori, Deven Bhojani and Aditya Lakhiya, will engage in conversation with Anupama Chopra and Rajeev Masand about the making of the film.

Festival director Anupama says, “India is crazy about cinema but there is really no platform where actors, filmmakers and their fans can connect face to face. We started the Movie Mela to rectify that and create a film festival which was truly inclusive.“

All sessions at the Mela are open to delegates of the Jio MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star.

A city-based social organisation, Sangharsh, is irked with the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival organisers for selecting a Pakistani film, Jago Hua Savera, to be showcased at the upcoming event, and plans to protest the same for which it has sought police permission.

“The organisers of this event are more likely to flare the outrage among people by screening this Pakistani film at their festival. This will just not be acceptable as it will give rise to more tension and outrage among the people,“ read a letter written by the organisation's president, Prithvi Mhaske, pointing out that after the IMPPA ban on Pakistani actors and the decision of the single screen theatres in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa to ban movies featuring Pak actors, this “pouring so much love towards the Pakistani actors“ was just not acceptable. “If the organisers do not stop screening the film, my workers would stall the screening of the film.“

The 1958 film was even selected as Pakistan's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1960 Oscars. It will be screened in the 'restored classic' section of the festival.
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MID-DAY (October 17, 2016) 

With just four days to go for the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) Film Festival, organisers are facing threats of a disruption, if 1958 Pakistani film 'The Day Shall Dawn' is screened.

Prithvi Maske, president of a local NGO Sangarsh Foundation, filed a complaint with Amboli police on Saturday, seeking ban on the Oscar nominated film's screening. In his complaint, Maske says, "Due to tension among Indians against Pakistan and Pakistanis after the Uri attacks, it [the film's screening] is likely to flare the outrage."

Maske asks "why MAMI organisers are showering so much love on Pakistanis" when film bodies have decided to ban Pakistani artistes in Bollywood and more recently, single screen theatres have also made it clear that they won't screen films featuring actors from across the border.

He also said his NGO will hold protests at an Andheri multiplex, one of the festival venues if the film was screened. As reported 'Unfazed by political tension' (hitlist, October 14), the bilingual movie is a semi documentary that sheds light on the quality of life in a small village in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Since the film was made before Bangladesh was formed in 1971, sources close to the organisers had raised questions over the film being targeted.

This year the Mumbai Film Festival MAMI turns 18 and one of her 'adult' responsibilities is to offer a platform to cinema from not just across the globe but every corner of the country. And to ensure that her voice is heard, apart from prominent Bollywood names she has roped in regional superstars like Pawan Kalyan, Suriya and Prithviraj for the job. Lending his voice to this friendly, multilingual call for entries and declaring the fest open, is also Ranveer Singh who enthusiastically jumped on board a couple of months ago to tell filmmakers in his own inimitable style, and in as many as seven to eight languages - from Punjabi and Marathi to Gujarati, Tamil and even Kashmiri - that they are the real stars, and urging them to send in their films.

“It's a fairly straightforward message which could have been somewhat dry, but someone as fun and energetic as Ranveer can make even reading a phone directory exciting and engaging,“ says Rohan Sippy who directed the film and travelled with the actor across the length and breadth of the country in just a couple of hours. “I let myself be entertained by one of our best entertainers. Now when there is a staggering amount of new content being created every day, it is more important than ever to have a platform to present your work as even the smallest opportunities can go a long way. The film community needs a hub like MAMI where we can interact with new talent.“

Vasan Bala who was roped in as a creative consultant is equally gung-ho about MAMI's “infectious energy“ while Ranveer points out that the fest is doing some amazing work for film lovers across the board. “Our city needs and deserves a cultural event like this. It's a great platform for upcoming talent and I am absolutely delighted that I could do my bit for the festival and our city.“

The 18th edition of festival is scheduled for October 20 to 27 and festival director Anupama Chopra is optimistic that Ranveer's presence will take their call for entries far and wide and help bring wonderful Indian movies to MAMI viewers.

This year, the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), scheduled between October 20-27, is moving its section for children and young adults to the newly-revamped Films Division (FD) grounds at Peddar Road. This move comes with the promise of more space than the Cinemax theatres, where the films under this section were screened in the morning shows.

“We were in talks with FD even last year, but at that time the venue was under construction. FD is a beautiful space. A haven for documentary and animation filmmakers. The Mumbai International Film Festival for short films, animation and documentaries is also hosted there,“ reasons Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, MAMI, adding that with this dedicated hub, the number of films screened in the section could go up from 12 in 2015 to 20-24 in 2016.

Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, informs that they signed the MoU with Films Division on Thursday, making them collaborative parties. FD will provide the venue and infrastructure while the MAMI team will curate the films and organise the activities. “The two to three day event will not only screen films all day but also conduct workshops and master classes, promising wholesome entertainment for kids in the age group of 4-17 years, which parents constantly feel the absence of in the city,“ says Anupama.

The team is confident of pulling a large audience from schools, which ferried the children in buses, giving MAMI a series of packed shows. Kiran Rao, Chairperson of MAMI, exults, “Now our ambitious plans for this section can be realised. We believe that by exposing young minds to the rich diversity or artistic and Indie films, we go a long way towards creating a better cinema culture for our future. From this year we have FD as a dedicated venue for screenings and other film related activities in the section for children and young adults.“

“MAMI is a well known event in the festival calendar of Mumbai city. Films Division is happy to partner for the 18th edition of the festival being held between 20-27 October 2016. One of the exciting and important segment of the event - a children's cinema section aptly named “Half Ticket“ ­ will be held at the Films Division complex. I hope the partnership with MAMI will continue in the future editions of the festival,“ says Mukesh Sharma, DG, Films Division.