Presenting New Indian Cinema’s Layered Avatars

Stuttgart, the capital of southwest Germany’s Baden-Württemberg state, known as a manufacturing hub, is the headquarters of the Porche and Mercedes-Benz museums. The verdant city’s green spaces are linked with popular parks and one of the largest zoos and botanical gardens in Europe.

The city’s strong cultural life has links with India. Arguably, the strongest among them appears to be the Indian Film Festival Stuttgart. It was launched in 2003 by its sponsor, city magnate Andreas Lapp with Oliver Mann as its director. It has grown over the years to be one of Europe’s most extensive reach of Indian films that cover features, documentaries and short films made over the previous year. Its awards, endowed with up to 4,000 Euros, present an award in each section, and additionally, an audience award.

The 16th edition of the Festival opens on Wednesday, July 17, at Metropol Cinema (Bolzstrasse) with the powerful ‘Namdev Bhau – In Search of Silence’, directed by India-based Ukranian Dar Gai and produced by Dheer Momaya. The surreal film is on an exasperated chauffeur fleeing Mumbai’s cacophony as he heads for the northern hills of the “Silent Valley”. His irritation is aggravated by a chatty twelve-year-old boy who insists on accompanying him on his journey. The two affect each other’s destiny in meaningful ways.

Premiering in Stuttgart this year as its closing film is ‘Lihaaf’, produced by Oscar-winner Marc Baschet and directed by Rahat Kazmi and co-written by him and Sonal Sehgal. A period drama, the film is based on Ismat Chughtai’s most celebrated and controversial story Lihaaf published in 1942. It revolves around lesbianism and free speech, topics that Indian society is grappling with even today. It focuses on the writer’s trial after being charged with obscenity on publishing her story. The writer did not apologize, choosing to fight the case to uphold her beliefs. The film stars Tannishtha Chatterjee as Chughtai, Sehgal as the lonely Begum Jaan, and co-producer Namita Lal in the key role of the masseuse Rabbo. Sehgal and another co-producer Golda Sellam will attend the festival.

The festival’s unique School Day programme addresses pupils from class 9 to 13, and screens an insightful Indian film on a current topic will be showcased to the students.

Apart from these centrepieces, the Festival presents current works of acclaimed filmmakers appearing on India’s cinematic scene. This year, the fifty festival films programmed take us on a quest, many in the style of a road movie. There is the popular film ‘Hamid’ directed by Aijaz Khan and produced by Saregama’s Yoodlee Films, which has travelled to may world festivals through the past year.

It centres on a child’s search for his untraceable father by connecting directly with God, and has prime position as the Festival’s School Day film. This unique programme addresses pupils from class 9 to 13, and screens insightful Indian films on a current topic followed by a discussion with the filmmaker.

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