Puskin Cinema, 7-12 February, 2014

7 February, 2014, Friday 18.45

Mirch Masala (1987) - Opening Ceremony

Directed by: Ketan Mehta

Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Raj Babbar, Om Puri, Ram Gopal Bajaj, Nina Kulkarni, Smita Patil, Suresh Oberoi, Benjamin Gilani, Deepti Naval, Ratna Pathak Shah, Supriya Pathak, Mohan Gokhale

Language: Hindi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 118 min

In an isolated village in pre-independence India Subhedar (Tax Collector), the agent of colonial power, arrives with his brand of soldiers and the aura of authority. At the village celebration in his honour he spots a dusky, beautiful, spirited woman Sonbai whose husband is away to the city to work.

Subhedar desires Sonbai. Sonbai snubs his advances. Escapes from his clutches and takes refuge in the local spice factory where she works with other women, grinding chilies and spices. The old watchman of the factory realizing the situation, bolts the giant gates of the factory and refuses to surrender Sonbai to Subhedar's soldiers.

For the Subhedar this is a challenge to his authority, and affront to his ego, he has to have the woman at any cost. He summons the owner of the factory and the village headman and demands Sonbai like a tax. Otherwise he will destroy the entire village. The village gets totally polarised. Is a woman's honor worth all the trouble?

With the Subhedar stuck on his demand, the women inside the factory defiant and the men outside scared of the consequences, the stage is set for a final confrontation.

The film won several awards in national festivals, and received the award for best feature film in the Hawaii International Festival.

Trailer

8 February, 2014, Saturday 18.00

3 Idiots (2009) / Screening with intermission - Comedy

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani

Language: Hindi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 170 min

Farhan Qureshi and Raju Rastogi want to re-unite with their fellow collegian, Rancho, after faking a stroke aboard an Air India plane, and excusing himself from his wife - trouser less - respectively. Enroute, they encounter another student, Chatur Ramalingam, now a successful businessman, who reminds them of a bet they had undertaken 10 years ago. The trio, while recollecting hilarious antics, including their run-ins with the Dean of Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, race to locate Rancho, at his last known address - little knowing the secret that was kept from them all this time.

Trailer

9 February, 2014, Sunday 18.00

Kahaani (2012) - Thriller

Directed by Sujoy Ghosh

Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee, Dhritiman Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indraniel Sengupta

Language: Hindi and Bengali with Hungarian subtitles

Duration: 122 min

Kolkata is abuzz with the preparations for the annual Durga Puja festival, as seven months pregnant Vidya Bagchi steps off the airplane from London. Her first stop is the local police station to file a missing person report. Weeks ago, her husband Arnab arrived in India for a job assignment. The first two weeks, they talked daily on the phone, and then without explanation, his calls stopped. Everywhere Vidya turns, no one can remember Arnab. There is no trace of him at the guest house or his workplace. But Vidya will not give up her search. Somewhere in Kolkata she will discover the dangerous truth.

Trailer

10 February, 2014, Monday 18.00

Stri (1995) -Film drama

Director: K. Sethu Madhavan

Cast: Rohini, Vijay, P. L. Narayana, S. Bheemeswara Rao, K. K. Sarma, Bachoori, Gopalaraju

Language: Telugu with Hungarian subtitle

Duration 89 min

A chance encounter on the boat! Rangi and Paddalu wheedle their way onto the boat much against the boatman's wishes. The next morning it is discovered that Paddalu has made away with the cargo on the board. Rangi is still around, probably to delay the police from catching the culprit. When asked Rangi frankly tells her story. Paddalu is really not her husband but "her man" she knows that the booty will not be shared with her, but with Passalu's beautiful young wife. Why then does she help Paddalu in his nefarious activities? "Because he is my man" is her simple answer which has eons of female subservience hidden within it., Rohini, Vijay, S. Bheemeswara Rao, K. K. Sarma

Awards: National Award Best Feature Film in Telugu & a Special Mention for Best Actress

Trailer

11 February, 2014, Tuesday 18.00

Cheeni Kum (2007) / Screening with intermission - Musical romantic comedy

Director: R. Balk

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Paresh Rawal

Language: Hindi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 134 min

Grouchy, uptight 64-year-old Buddhadev Gupta lives a fairly wealthy lifestyle in London, England, along with his widowed TV and wrestling-addicted mom. He is the owner of Spice 6, one of London's top restaurants that specializes in Indian dishes. One day a customer, Nina Verma, complains about the zafrani pulao, and Buddhadev does not take it well, only to subsequently find out that the pulao was indeed imperfect. He decides to make amends to Nina and lends her his umbrella during a rainy day. Both subsequently become friends, fall in love, and decide to get married.

She is introduced to Buddhadev's mom, who instantly approves of her. Nina, who lives in Delhi with her widower dad, cuts short her visit when her dad gets sick. Buddhadev and his mom also travel to India so that Buddhadev can ask for Nina's hand from her now-fully recovered dad. Buddhadev does meet with Nina's dad and, after considerable hesitation, does manage to ask for Nina's hand and is abruptly refused--for Nina is only 34 years of age, and Buddhadev is six years older than Nina's dad. When Nina and Buddhadev insist on getting married, her Gandhian dad decides to undertake a fast unto death (satyagraha). The question remains, will Buddhadev and Nina continue their relationship, and how will this satyagraha impact Mr. Verma's life?

Trailer

12 February, 2014, Wednesday 18.00

Ek Hota Vidushak (1991) / Screening with intermission - Film drama

Director: Jabbar Patel

Cast: Laxmikant Berde, Madhu Kambikar,Nilu Phule, Varsha Usgaonkar

Language: Marathi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 168 min

Aburao, a Songadya (clown) in the world of Tamasha (a folk theatre form), is known for his satirical humour. His humour comes from the humiliation he suffered as an illegitimate child of a tamasha artist and exposed to the cruel world of deceit, poverty and power play.

Bewitched by the beautiful actress Menaka, Aburao leaves the tamasha world, using the opportunity to enter the world of cinema. In the process, he betrays his beloved Subhadra who is pregnant by him.

Gunwant, Aburao’s schoolmate, and now the Chief Minister, with his political shrewdness, realizes that he can usethe popularity of his actor-clown friend to his advantage. Initially unwilling, Aburao soon finds himself a willing accomplice in the power game, until he is confronted bí his mentor and is reminded of his roots and the genesis of his rise to stardom.

The film has received several national and state awards in many cathegories.

Trailer

100 years of Indian Cinema! – Lectures (free entry):

8 February, 2014, Saturday - Cafeteria

16.30-18.00 Changing Bollywood and the special role of Aamir Khan- Lecture by Ms Györgyi Vajdovich

9 February, 2014, Sunday - Cafeteria

16.30-18.00 The blending of art film and popular film elements in contemporary Hindi filmmaking - Lecture by Ms Györgyi Vajdovich

10 February, 2014, Monday 18.00 – in Metropolis Hall

18.00-18.30 Traditional and modern female characters in the Indian film – Lecture by Ms Krisztina Dávid, Indologist

Venue: Puskin Cinema (1053 Budapest, Kossuth Lajos utca 18), Metropolis Hall

Ticket are available at the Puskin Cinema’s ticket office at a reduced price of HUF 1100. Films are screening in original language with Hungarian subtitle.

Indian Cultural Centre, 13-16 February, 2014

13th February, Thursday 18:00

Parinamam (2003) -Film drama

Director: Venu

Cast: Matampu Kunjukuttan, Nedumudi Venu, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Ashokan, Shalu Menon, Archana, T. P. Madhavan, Baby Nithya Ranjith

Language: Malayalam with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 125 min

Parinamam tackles the age old issue of loneliness and redundancy among the aged. Balakrishna Marar faces callous treatment from his family after his retirement. Parallel to his story is that of the mentally disturbed and lonely former judge Damodaran Nambeeshan, who goes to Kashi in search of peace. There are five other senior citizens whose problems form the basis of the film. The story is about all these good people whose lives fall apart when they grow old. They lose everything they hold dear and start feeling rejected, as if they are burdens on their family and society.

Festival Participation / awards: Ashdod International Film Festival, Israel - Best Screenplay Award, Malayalam Film Festival Dubai 2003, Chennai International Film Festival 2003, Indian Panorama 2003

14th February, Friday 18:00

Cocktail (2012) - Musical romantic comedy

Director: Homi Adajania

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Diana Penty, Dimple Kapadia, Boman Irani

Language: Hindi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 145 min

The story revolves around Gautam Khanna (Saif Ali Khan), Veronica D'Costa (Deepika Padukone) and Meera Gupta (Diana Penty). Gautam Khanna (Saif Ali Khan) always had a dream to go to London and have a job. His dream is fulfilled and he gets a job. But his mom, Nita (Dimple Kapadia) says that she has to finalize his marriage to a girl and so he has to wait. She finds her perfect 'bahu' in Meera Gupta (Diana Penty). But she does not tell Gautam about this and tells Meera's parents even to not tell Meera. She tells Gautam to take her friend's daughter Meera as she has an assignment in London for 3 days. On the flight, Meera and Gautam befriend each other. In London, Meera has some problems completing her assignment and therefore fails to give it on time. She loses her job but then Gautam consoles her. They go on a beach party and there they meet Veronica D'Costa (Deepika Padukone). After some days of living with each other, Gautam falls in love with Veronica. But the thing that Gautam doesn't know about her is that Veronica is already in love with Jeremy Viegas (Randeep Hooda). Now, Meera has started to fall in love with Gautam and Jeremy has started disliking Veronica because of her choosy behavior and started loving Meera.

Trailer

15th February, Saturday 18:00

Sholay (1975) / Screening with intermission - Romantic musical, action-comedy (200 min)

Director: Ramesh Sippy

Cast: Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Amjad Khan, Jaya Bhaduri

Language: Hindi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 204 min

Sholay means embers in Hindi. In this particular movie, a Police Officer, who's family was killed by a bandit named Gabbar Singh, decides to fight fire with fire and recruits two convicts, Jai and Veeru to capture Gabbar. He approaches them in jail, puts the proposal in front of them, and they agree to bring in Gabbar Singh alive - for a hefty price. After their discharge from jail, they travel by train to the village where the Police Officer lives - now with only his widowed daughter-in-law. The three band together to fight one of the most elusive and dreaded bandits of all time. Will the two ex-cons be able to bring Gabbar alive to the Police Officer?

Trailer

16th February, Sunday 18:00

The Lunchbox (2013) - Romantic comedy

Director: Ritesh Batra

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Denzil Smith, Akash Sinha, Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Language: Hindi with Hungarian subtitle

Duration: 104min

In The Lunchbox the protagonists are a man, Mr. Sajan who has been grieving since his wife died and a woman, Ila who wants to seek her husband's attention to rekindle their love and hopes to cook her way through her husband's heart. But by a rare mistake of the very famous 'dabbawalas' of Mumbai city, the dabba with the delicious food she had prepared for her husband instead gets delivered to Mr. Fernandez. Realizing the mistake of the delivery she writes Fernandez a note about it. Then unfolds a beautiful episode in their life in a series of compelling and sincere notes they exchange through the dabba. Soon, she finds out that her husband is having an affair and writes to Sajan about it suggesting that she wants to move to Bhutan since the people there are known to be happy. Sajan contemplates moving with her and writes back asking if she'll be ready to move to Bhutan with him. Ila writes back saying she'd like to meet him first. They arrange to meet at a popular food joint, but Sajan doesn't turn up and a dejected Ila sends an empty lunchbox the next day. Sajan writes to her saying that he did arrive at the food joint, but did not meet her because he considered himself to be very old compared to her and asks her to move on. Ila soon finds out the place where Sajan works and goes to meet him, but there she learns that Sajan had already quit the job by then and is headed to Nashik.

Trailer

Venue: Indian Cultural Centre (1025 Budapest, Búzavirág utca 14.). The film screening at the Centre are free. Films are screening in original language with Hungarian subtitle.

Source and more information: indianembassy.hu/indiaikulturaliskozpont