MArgarita... to Ek Duuje Ke Liye

India Habitat Centre throws open its doors to cinema lovers of Delhi with its annual Habitat Film Festival starting from May 8 -17. Celebrating its 10th year, the festival this year has an increased number of screenings and a retrospective and an interaction with the unparalleled master of his craft - Kamal Haasan.

The film festival showcases the best of Pan-Indian Cinema from the past year. This year it will screen 48 films in 13 languages. Fresh and innovative storylines, stunning cinematography, veteran actors and directors, rising stars and award winning performances of 2014-2015 are all an integral part of the festival apart from 19 National Award Winning Films.

The festival opens on May 8 with Shonali Bose’s highly acclaimed Margarita With A Straw and Teen Kahon (Bengali) directed by Bauddhayan Mukherji. Kamal Hasaan retrospective will be screened on May 9 with an interaction with the star followed by a screening of Vishwaroopam (Hindi). 

Over the next 10 days, Habitat Film Festival will see the screening of several outstanding films including Marana Dandane (Kannada), Bey Yaar (Gujarati), Lajwanti and Gour Hari Dastaan (Hindi), Kuttaram Kadhithal (Tamil), Labour of Love and Chatushkone (Bengali), Quolf (Kashmiri), Shukha Asuchi (Oriya), Piku (Hindi), Elizabeth Ekadasi and Ek Hazarachi Note (Marathi), Ottal (Malayalam), Qissa, Punjab 1984 and Chaar Sahibzaade (Punjabi), Pallefam (Manipuri), Borhxaranya (Assamese) among a host of other wonderful films from various regions and languages.

Kamal Haasan’s retrospective showcase his amazing multifaceted talent with Vishwaroopam, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Sadma, Chachi 420 and Saagar, Hey Ram (Hindi) and Virumandi, Nagayan and Guna (Tamil). 

The Habitat Film Festival provides audiences the unique opportunity to not just watch otherwise inaccessible films but also an interaction with directors in a post film Question and Answer session. This year, some of the actors/directors scheduled to attend are Kalki Koechlin, Shoojit Sircar, Ananth Mahadevan, Pushpendra Singh, Bauddhayan Mukherji, Abhishek Jain, Sohini Dasgupta, Atanu Ghosh, Hiren Bhora, Sajin Baabu and more.

Vidyun Singh, Programmes Director, India Habitat Centre said “In the 10 years since we began the Habitat Film Festival to provide a dedicated platform to showcase the Best of Pan Indian cinema, Indian cinema has gone places! A brave new breed of directors, skilled professionals, producers and storylines have ensured an increasing and respected space in the International Cinema space.”

Apart from film screenings, there will be several other activities like Rhythm, Raga And Melody—an exhibition throughout the festival., at the Convention Centre Foyer in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India, Pune.