The 10th edition of the Jagran film festival is back in town, and there’s an exciting spread of films/documentaries/masterclasses/short-films during the 4-day festival. Being curated by film critic, Rajeev Masand, the festival taking place between the 18th-21st July, will see a screening of Mr India and a conversation with Anil Kapoor.
Apart from festival regulars like Rima Das’s Bulbul Can Singh, Kabir Singh Chowdhury’s Mehsampur, there’s a bunch of Indian premieres of international and regional films, short films and masterclasses.
Here are 9 events at the 10th Jagran film festival that (in our opinion) that you should definitely check out:
1. Ghawre Baire Aaj (Bengali) – July 18, 7.25 pm
A modern reinterpretation of Tagore’s classic story, this film directed by Aparna Sen, stars Anirban Bhattacharya, Tuhina Das and Jisshu Sengupta in the lead roles. The story has been previously adapted by Satyajit Ray in a 1984 film starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Victor Banerjee and Swatilekha Sengupta. It’s the opening festival of the festival.
2. A Monsoon Date (Hindi) – July 18, 11.40 am
Starring Konkona Sensharma and Priyanshu Painyuli, this short film takes place over the course of a rainy evening in Mumbai. The film is written by Gazal Dhaliwal (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga) and directed by Tanuja Chandra.
3. Paangshu (Sinhalese) – July 18, 8.25 pm
Directed by Visakesa Chandrasekaram, this film from Sri Lanka follows the story of a mother seeking justice around her son’s abduction by the paramilitary forces in 1988-89.
4. Conversation with Aparna Sen – July 19, 11.15 am
The veteran filmmaker will be in conversation with Rajeev Masand about her latest film, followed by which the floor will be opened for a QandA with the audience members.
5. Jhalki (Hindi) – July 20, 11 am
Directed by Dr Brahmanand Singh & Tanvi Jain, this film stars Tannishtha Chatterjee, Sanjay Suri and Boman Irani, in the lead roles. According to IMDB, the film follows the journey of a 9-year-old girl in search of her 7-year-old brother, who has been thrown in the gloomy world of child labour.
6. Virus (Malayalam) – July 20, 2.35 pm
Aashiq Abu’s critically-acclaimed film that released only recently, will be screened at the Jagran festival. A fictionalised retelling of the outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kerala, this film has been praised for its low-key, strong ensemble cast headlined by the likes of Revathy.
7. Conversation with Siddhant Chaturvedi – July 20, 8.35 pm
2019’s breakout star from Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy will sit down for a chat with Rajeev Masand after a screening of Gully Boy. Playing the role of MC Sher, Chaturvedi has announced himself as one of the most promising young actors in Bollywood.
8. Chintu Ka Birthday (Hindi) – July 21, 3.35 pm
Produced by comedy collective AIB, the film put together by Satyanshu Singh & Devnashu Kumar, the film was supposed to premier at 2018 MAMI. However, given the #MeToo allegations surrounding the company meant that the film would be taken down from the line-up, only to resurface a little over a year later.
9. Late Night (English) – July 21, 6.50 pm
Produced by Amazon Studios, this film starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling will have its India premiere on the last day of the 4-day festival as the closing film. Having been picked up by Amazon at the Sundance Film Festival, the film opened to some rave reviews.
You can look up the full schedule and book your tickets for the 10th Jagran Film Festival here.
