| IFFM Guests |
| Priyanka Chopra (Actress) |
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Winner of both the Miss India and Miss World
beauty pageants at the age of seventeen, she is not
only one of Bollywood’s great beauties but one of its
finest and busiest leading actresses, shooting up to
four films a year.
Praised for her performances in the
hits '7 Khoon Maaf', 'Agneepath' and 'Kaminey', you can
see why she’s in such demand during the festival,
opposite Shah Rukh Khan in 'Don 2' and Shahid
Kapoor in 'Teri Meri Kahaani'. Heavily committed
to charity work, Priyanka was appointed a
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010. |
| Come, meet
Priyanka at
the Festival
Opening, at
7pm, Monday,
June 11, Hoyts
Melbourne
Central. |
| Shahid Kapoor (Actor) |
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His rise to stardom reads like a Bollywood
script, but Shahid’s leading man looks and steely
determination eventually turned things his way. In
the last five years his profile has exploded with roles
opposite the biggest leading ladies in India, including
Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan and Karina Kapoor.
A
trained dancer, his boyish charisma and easy charm
has made him the face of a long list of major brands
across India. |
| Come, meet
Shahid at
the Festival
Opening, at
7pm, Monday,
June 11, Hoyts
Melbourne
Central. |
| Rajkumar Hirani (Director / Writer) |
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A graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Raju segued into commercials before making it huge in movies as the director of three of India’s most beloved films. ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ is considered a classic, ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ is credited with re-popularizing Gandhism in India while ‘3 Idiots’ became the highest grossing Hindi film in history.
A hugely significant popular filmmaker, he has earned a reputation for comedies that explore strongly humanist themes with realistic characters that don’t sell the audience short. |
| Kunal Kohli (Producer / Director) |
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He started out with directing shows on television
and moved on to bigger things on the big screen.
Writer / director Kunal Kohli introduced Indian music
videos to narrative, has directed three films for Yash
Chopra, picked up awards for 'Fanaa', and created his
own production company.
We’re thrilled to premiere
his new feature - epic time hopping romance
'Teri Meri Kahaani', starring the impossibly
good-looking Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka
Chopra. |
| Come, meet
Kunal at
the Festival
Opening, at
7pm, Monday,
June 11, Hoyts
Melbourne
Central. |
| Vicky Bahri (Producer / Director) |
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A former assistant director in commercials, films
and television, Vicky Bahri worked his way through
the ranks before stepping out on his own to direct.
Since then he’s rarely stopped, helming over 45
commercials, 6 major tourism films as well as fiction
and non-fiction TV.
He’s known for his distinctive
visual style and eliciting great performances from actors,
and he has now branched into producing with
his current project,' Teri Meri Kahaani'on show at the festival,
starring fellow festival guests Shahid
Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. |
| Come, meet
Vicky at
the Festival
Opening, at
7pm, Monday,
June 11, Hoyts
Melbourne
Central. |
| IFFM Festival guest Vijay unable to attend |
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The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne regrets to announce that Tamil screen legend Vijay’s appearance at the Festival Opening has been cancelled.
Vijay injured himself on the set of his new film Thuppaki and had to be rushed to London for medical attention.
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Vijay said -
"I am more disappointed than anyone as I was really looking forward to meeting all my fans in Australia and being a part of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. I do intend to be back but unfortunately it will not be possible this time due to my health. I hope you all understand".
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Director Mitu Bhowmick Lange said -
“Although we are very disappointed, we of course understand and wish Vijay a speedy recovery”.
Representing the Tamil community in Melbourne, Mr.Vasan, President FIAV echoed the same sentiment.
All tickets to NANBAN special screening introduced by VIJAY can be reimbursed by Hoyts Melbourne Central Box office. |
| Rituparno Ghosh (Director / Writer / Actor) |
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A former advertising director, Ghosh made his feature debut
with a children’s movie that barely saw the light of day. But
his second film, ‘Unishe April’ (19th April), won Best Film at
the ‘94 National Film Awards and made his name. Since then
he’s earned a reputation as one of India’s most respected
filmmakers, known for realistic dialogue, inventive structure
and, like Spain’s Almodovar, for strong female characters.
One
of the very progressive directors in India, Ghosh helps
Bengal cinema maintain its solid art house reputation
and frequently represents Indian cinema on an
international platform. |
| Come, meet
Rituparno at
7pm, Friday,
June 22, Hoyts
Melbourne
Central. |
| Abhijat Joshi (Writer) |
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He’s a multilingual playwright and screenwriter, a professor of Creative Writing at Otterbein University in the USA, and also happens to write Bollywood blockbusters. Even more strangely; he crafts socially conscious stories that touch a nerve and reach blockbuster status. ‘3 Idiots’ struck gold with its mocking indictment of India’s education system, with its emphasis on cramming over learning.
He has won numerous screenwriting awards, including four Filmfare Awards and The National Film Award - a prestigious gold medal awarded by the President of India. |
| Sabyasachi (Costume Designer) |
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Sabyasachi is a name as famous in India as Versace is in the West. He graduated fashion in '99 with three major awards and set up his own label four months later. Since then he's made the cover of 'Women's Wear Daily', shown in New York and Milan Fashion Weeks, been stocked in London Selvedge's, high end Indian fashion houses. He is a designer of national acclaim who has designed costumes for India’s greatest actresses, including Vidya Balan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
He is the youngest board member of the National Museum of Indian Cinema and winner of the National Film Award for Best Costume design for the film ‘Black’. Sabyasachi has ushered in a new voice and look in both fashion and cinema. He has also designed costumes for Naomi Watts and Oprah. |
| Jugal Hansraj (Director / Actor) |
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Jugal Hansraj is an award winning director who created
'Roadside Romeo', a feature length animation for Yash Raj and
Walt Disney Studios. Here in Melbourne many filmmakers
suspect that the best opportunity for co-production will be
with our animated films.
Jugal will share his knowledge and
understanding of the resources available to Australian animators
in India and how such a collaboration may work in practice. |
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| DISCLAIMER:Schedules and programs can change without notice. Please check the website closer to the event date |
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Premier of Victoria
Minister of Innovation
Festival Director
FESTIVAL AMBASSADOR
the Lord Mayor
