Shah Rukh Khan & Sharmila to inaugurate 17th Kolkata film fest

IANS
Bollywood superstar
Shahrukh Khan and
yesteryear's actress
Sharmila Tagore will
inaugurate the 17th
Kolkata Film Festival
(KFF) starting Nov 10,
the organiser's said.
Veteran actress Supriya
Devi will be the guest of
honour at the inaugural.
Bengali movie star Koel
Mullick will be the thali
girl for the opening, her
father and KFF
chairperson actor Ranjit
Mullick said here.
"The opening film will be
'The Magican' by
Holland's Joram Lursen,"
he added.
There are many firsts
attached to 17th KFF -
for the first time, the
eight-day fest,
concluding Nov 17,
would have a
competitive section, a
big dash of Bollywood
glamour, screenings at
a multiplex and
inaugural event at the
Netaji indoor stadium
instead of the Nandan
Film Complex, which has
been the nerve centre
of the event since its
inception in 1995.
It would also be the
first time that former
chief minister
Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee, the
moving force behind the
festival till last year,
would not be a part of
the gala after beign
voted out of power in
the state assembly
polls.
The fest will see
screening of 150
movies, a heady mix of
socio-communicational
values and popular
entertainment, from 50
countries.
As many as 12 Asian
films would vie for
honours for the NETPAC
Award in the newly
introduced competitive
section.
The notable films
include Jean-luc Godard's
2010 release "Film
Socialisme", Hungarian
director Bela Tarr's
latest offering "The
Turin Horse", which is
shot in black and white
as per, famed Iranian
movie maker Abbas
Kiarostami's "Certified
copy", and German
mvoie "The Faust" by
director Alexandre
Shokurov.
There will be a
retrospective of
Japanese director
Shohei Imamura, while
Turkish movie maker
Nurri Bilge Ceylan will be
attending the festival
with a package of his
creations.
The Artistes' Forum will
hold a colourful
programme tracing the
journey of Bengali
cinema on the closing
day.
Bollywood filmmakers
Anant Mahadevan,
Ketan Mehta and
Santosh Shivan are
likely to attend the
festival, the second
oldest in India, being
organised for the first
time by the regime of
West Bengal chief
minister Mamata
Banerjee.
A centenary tribute has
been planned for
Bollywood great Ashok
Kumar, whose birth
centenary is being
celebrated this year. His
famous film "Kismet"
will be shown.
Special tributes section
features Bengal's
greatest matinee idol
Uttam Kumar and noted
director Mani Kaul.
Altogether 11 auditoria
including the Fame
Multiplex in South
Kolkata will screen the
movies.
"The festival has a
budget of Rs 2.75 crore
of which the state
government is providing
Rs.60 lakh. The major
chunk comes from
sponsorships," said
information and culture
secretary Nandini
Chakraborty.
The Calcutta-Kolkata
section will showcase
select feature films
spanning six decades
giving a wider window
to understand the city.
In Celebrating 50 Years
section, Ritwik Ghatak's
"Komal Gandhar" and
Ajoy Kar's "Saptapadi" -
both released in 1961 -
will be screened.
EShahrukh Khan and
yesteryear's actress
Sharmila Tagore will
inaugurate the 17th
Kolkata Film Festival
(KFF) starting Nov 10,
the organiser's said.
Veteran actress Supriya
Devi will be the guest of
honour at the inaugural.
Bengali movie star Koel
Mullick will be the thali
girl for the opening, her
father and KFF
chairperson actor Ranjit
Mullick said here.
"The opening film will be
'The Magican' by
Holland's Joram Lursen,"
he added.
There are many firsts
attached to 17th KFF -
for the first time, the
eight-day fest,
concluding Nov 17,
would have a
competitive section, a
big dash of Bollywood
glamour, screenings at
a multiplex and
inaugural event at the
Netaji indoor stadium
instead of the Nandan
Film Complex, which has
been the nerve centre
of the event since its
inception in 1995.
It would also be the
first time that former
chief minister
Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee, the
moving force behind the
festival till last year,
would not be a part of
the gala after beign
voted out of power in
the state assembly
polls.
The fest will see
screening of 150
movies, a heady mix of
socio-communicational
values and popular
entertainment, from 50
countries.
As many as 12 Asian
films would vie for
honours for the NETPAC
Award in the newly
introduced competitive
section.
The notable films
include Jean-luc Godard's
2010 release "Film
Socialisme", Hungarian
director Bela Tarr's
latest offering "The
Turin Horse", which is
shot in black and white
as per, famed Iranian
movie maker Abbas
Kiarostami's "Certified
copy", and German
mvoie "The Faust" by
director Alexandre
Shokurov.
There will be a
retrospective of
Japanese director
Shohei Imamura, while
Turkish movie maker
Nurri Bilge Ceylan will be
attending the festival
with a package of his
creations.
The Artistes' Forum will
hold a colourful
programme tracing the
journey of Bengali
cinema on the closing
day.
Bollywood filmmakers
Anant Mahadevan,
Ketan Mehta and
Santosh Shivan are
likely to attend the
festival, the second
oldest in India, being
organised for the first
time by the regime of
West Bengal chief
minister Mamata
Banerjee.
A centenary tribute has
been planned for
Bollywood great Ashok
Kumar, whose birth
centenary is being
celebrated this year. His
famous film "Kismet"
will be shown.
Special tributes section
features Bengal's
greatest matinee idol
Uttam Kumar and noted
director Mani Kaul.
Altogether 11 auditoria
including the Fame
Multiplex in South
Kolkata will screen the
movies.
"The festival has a
budget of Rs 2.75 crore
of which the state
government is providing
Rs.60 lakh. The major
chunk comes from
sponsorships," said
information and culture
secretary Nandini
Chakraborty.
The Calcutta-Kolkata
section will showcase
select feature films
spanning six decades
giving a wider window
to understand the city.
In Celebrating 50 Years
section, Ritwik Ghatak's
"Komal Gandhar" and
Ajoy Kar's "Saptapadi" -
both released in 1961 -
will be screened.
E