Showing posts with label 65th Berlin International Film Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 65th Berlin International Film Festival. Show all posts
Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak wins Grand Prix honour at Berlin International Film Festival
7:36 AM
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 16, 2015)
Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak revolving around 10-year old Pari (Hetal Gada),
Chotu (Krrish Chhabria), her eight-year-old blind brother and their
journey through Rajasthan has been honoured with The Grand Prix for Best
Feature-length Film at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. The
Manish Mundra-produced film has also earned Special Mention for the
Best Feature Film by the Children's Jury in the Generation K-plus
category. An excited Nagesh, who was heading back from Berlin, admitted to Mirror that the victory is yet to sink in. "I think it will on the flight back. I thought Berlinale would be a regular affair but our first show, with 1200 viewers, was completely sold-out. And the applause continued long after the film ended!" he exulted. "My only regret is that instead of the kids, Hetal and Krrish, it was us adults hogging the limelight. I've promised to take them along for the next festival."
When handing him the trophy, the Children's Jury described Dhanak as a colourful, touching and entertaining film for all ages. "It perfectly summed up the idea of the film," Nagesh asserted, saying he should have some clarity on the film's Indian release once he's back in Mumbai. "We're hoping to release it this year."
Will Dhanak be the next The Lunchbox? "There's a lot of interest from sales agents here," he said. "After the win, that should intensify. The Lunchbox is more of an 'adults' drama while mine is a commercial film for all ages."
I couldn't move even an inch for seven long hours-Hetal Gada on shooting Dhanak
7:42 AM
Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria, lil' stars of Nagesh Kukunoor's Berlinale entry Dhanak, recount their days in front of the camera
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 4, 2015)
Nagesh Kukunoor's upcoming film, Dhanak (Rainbow), will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival which opens on February 5. It is the only Indian feature selected for the festival and will compete in the Generation K-plus category.
The film revolves around an eight-year-old blind boy whose elder sister promises him that his vision will return before his ninth birthday. This leads to a journey through Rajasthan with the film's little stars, Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria, delivering finely nuanced performances.
"We're really proud that our film will be screened in Berlin but because of visa problems we won't be able to travel. Nagesh sir has promised us that we will be at the next festival," says 11-year-old Hetal who plays the sister.
For her audition, she performed a scene in which she threatens her uncle saying she will take her brother to Shah Rukh Khan if he didn't organise for his eye operation.
"It was an intense, emotional scene and though I was nervous in the presence of the director of Dor and Iqbal, I pulled off the scene easily and am happy to make my debut in Nagesh sir's film," reminisces the sixth grader from St. Xavier's school.
Hetal's mother, Krupa, is quick to add that her daughter who has appeared in prints ads and serials like Bandini and Parichay, was selected from around 2,500 aspirants. Following this threat, the kids take off on a magical journey. "We shot in Rajasthan over June-July for 32 days. It was very hot and an ordeal to walk in the sand," recalls Krrish who plays the blind Chhotu.
The third standard student of Arya Vidya Mandir, Juhu, has done four other films, including The Daughter's Dream, Phantom, Talwaar and Katha. "Nagesh sir took me to a blind school and I observed how the children there spoke, read and interacted. After that it was easy," he shrugs nonchalantly, going on to describe in detail a fight with a fat co-actor, Saand Bhanu, in the desert. "It spilled over into the second day but Nagesh sir was happy. I had a deal with the make-up bhaiya that if I did a shot in one take, he'd give me a chocolate, if it took me a couple of retakes I had to make the gift. I got more chocolates from him than he got from me," Krrish smiles.
So, he's a good actor, huh? "I'm a smart kid," he retorts, "Aur bada hokar main actor hi banoonga, like my favourite Shah Rukh Khan. I loved his Happy New Year... And The Avengers too. I don't have any favourite actresses though."
At nine, Krrish obviously hasn't developed a fascination for the opposite sex yet. Shy Hetal was like a sister for real with whom he did a lot of masti on the sets.
"His dad would help us with our studies and sometimes he'd tell me to help Krrish with lessons but he'd convince me to let him play hooky," Hetal laughs.
In front of the camera however it was all work and no play. Hetal remembers filming in a village around 7 pm. "There were black, red and yellow insects flying all around. We were petrified of being bitten and enveloped ourselves with a shawl. Even our faces were covered, till it was time for a shot," she shudders.
A bigger ordeal was lying down on a sand dune from 8 am till 3 pm, pretending to be in a dead faint. "Since sand patterns shift with even the slightest movement, I couldn't move even an inch through those seven long hours. When it was time for lunch, Nagesh sir fed me himself, apologizing profusely. He is a wonderful man and a fine director. I have yet to see the complete film but from what I have seen during the dubbing, bahut pasand aaya," smiles Hetal.
And like Krrish does she also nurture Bollywood dreams? "Yes, I want to be a heroine like my idol Kareena Kapoor when I grow up and make my mummy, nana and nani really proud of me," she asserts.
She loves to watch Kareena's films, and in particular her dances. "The expressions on her face match her movements perfectly. I'm a good dancer too," she concludes with a smile.
Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak to premiere at 65th Berlin International Film Festival
7:44 AM
Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 13, 2014)
Nagesh Kukunoor's
upcoming film Dhanak (Rainbow)has been selected for
the 65th Berlin International Film Festival which commences on February
5. It will compete in the Generation KPlus category, a section adjudged
by an 11-member jury of children aged between 11and 14 years.The director, known for films like Iqbal, Dor and Hyderabad Blues, is elated.When contacted, he told Mirror, “I had promised myself that I would never attend the Berlinale till one of my films make it to the festival. I cannot believe this has actually happened!“ Like his National Award-winning film Iqbal, Dhanak also features a protagonist with a disability, but in a dramatically different environment. The film revolves around an eight-year-old blind boy whose 11-year-old sister promises him he will get his vision back before he turns 10. The film follows the duo on a life-changing journey through the desert sands of Rajasthan.
Nagesh points out that unlike his last film, the dark and disturbing drama Lakshmi about a teenage prostitute, Dhanak celebrates life. “One day, while working on another film, the story of a blind boy and a little girl flashed through my mind. And I instantly knew I had to make this film. As clichéd as it sounds, this story came from within me,“ he says.
Buzz is, Shah Rukh Khan has done a cameo in the film. “SRK's stardom is vital to the story and marks a conclusive end to the children's journey,“ he says, somewhat enigmatically. “Beyond that, I can't say much.“
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