Satyajit Ray adaptation ‘The Storyteller’ to open London India Film Fest
Kolkata: Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s ‘The Storyteller,’ based on a short story ‘Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro’ by master filmmaker Satyajit Ray is all set to open the London Indian Film Festival on June 22 at BFI Southbank, London. Starring Paresh Rawal, Adil Hussain, Tanistha Chatterjee, and Revathy Asha, the film had its world premiere at Busan International Film Festival last year. ‘The Storyteller’, which has been shot extensively in Kolkata, tells the delightful tale of a wealthy businessman (Hussain) who hires a storyteller (Rawal) to regale him with stories to help get over his insomnia. But as their relationship unfolds, the possibility that both men harbour ulterior motives slowly begins to surface.
The festival, which will be on till June 29 in London and in Birmingham till July 2, will also have the UK premiere of Delhi-born director Nisha Pahuja’s acclaimed documentary, ‘To Kill a Tiger’.
An official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, the docu deals with the aftermath of a brutal crime in Jharkhand where a 13-year-old girl was abducted and assaulted by three men.
Hollywood actor-producer Mindy Kaling was all praise for the riveting documentary and said: “To Kill a Tiger’ is a story of how one family’s strength can overcome even the most heinous injustices. Nisha is an incredibly powerful storyteller and her film is a triumph. Everyone should see it.”
Meanwhile, two of veteran director Deepa Mehta’s cult films – ‘Fire’ and ‘Earth’ – will be screened at the Barbican Centre, one of the largest performing arts centres in Europe.
The festival will also screen Siddharth Chauhan’s feature debut ‘Amar Colony’, which revolves around three women going through their mundane lives, representing the human condition, in a chawl, starring Nimisha Nair, Sangeeta Agrawal and Usha Chauhan.
“I am happy to announce the UK premiere of my film at the London Indian Film Festival. LIFF UK and Europe’s largest South Asian Film Festival and I am thrilled to be back here with my latest work,” said Chauhan.
