I cannot remember when I started working on this book, perhaps the idea was always brewing within me and it was merely a matter of time when I punched the words on to the keyboard.
I want to believe that I was forever writing the chapters in my head subconsciously but I needed time to navigate through my memories accumulated over the years.
For a long time, I believed that unless I visited our neighboring country, unless I touched, saw and felt my parents’ homeland, walked the path they did and inhaled the same fragrance, I would not be able to do justice to their story.
In the meantime, years rolled into decades…
A few years ago, my oldest sister, Motiben, on my sibling number three Rajabhai’s request, penned some facts of the family on paper.
Rajabhai, who lives in Toronto, was going through a phase where he needed clarity on chronology.
Motiben did that. She asked me if I would like a copy of her handwritten sheets and I said ‘yes’.
That night I read her pearl-like hand-written notes in Gujarati again and again. She had drawn up a list of our ancestors, our various homes and locations.
Perhaps this was the road map I had been waiting for….
I was excited, yes but the way forward was still hazy…
To be continued….

The 23rd edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) unveils the 2025 lineup,
reaffirming its role as the leading platform for South Asian cinema in the U.S. Over two
decades, IFFLA has championed bold storytelling and emerging talent and underscores the
same commitment in 2025 with a lineup that includes the best of South Asian cinema. The
festival will open with Varsha Bharath’s directorial debut, Bad Girl, and close with Lawrence
Valin’s debut, Little Jaffna

This year’s lineup includes an eclectic mix of South Asian films from countries like India,
Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, along with international co-
productions from France, Singapore, and Norway. IFFLA 2025 will feature 27 films,
including seven narrative features, one documentary, 18 shorts, and a special two-episode
screening of an anthology series. The festival includes two world premieres, six North
American premieres, three U.S. premieres, and 14 Los Angeles premieres, highlighting a
diverse and exciting slate of new voices and perspectives.
Beyond individual highlights, this year’s lineup celebrates the rich diversity of South Asian
cinema with a strong emphasis on female-driven narratives both in front and behind the
camera
IFFLA was founded in 2002 as a non-profit organization with the aim to offer the Los
Angeles community a unique opportunity to learn about India’s multifaceted culture and long
history of filmmaking. Since then, IFFLA has grown into the premiere U.S. venue for
discovering the best of South Asian cinema, as well as a vital hub that fosters an important
dialogue among the most original independent storytellers from India and its diaspora, the
greater South Asian diasporic community, and the international film
industry at large.

Some films attract us by the title. Yashasvi Juyal’s short documentary, set in Himalyan
village, Rains Don’t Make Us Happy Anymore will be hosting its World Premiere at the
prestigious 56th Visions du Réel International Film Festival, 2025. It is an unusual film
because the film comments on the mindless development of hydroelectric projects and dams
in the Himalayas.
Another debut feature worth mentioning is Juyal’s debut feature Ink-Stained Hand & The
Missing Thumb the story of a migrant worker selected in Hong Kong International Film
Festival’s Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) 2025. Juyal won the Gender Sensitivity Award
for his first short The Last Rhododendron at Dharamshala International Film Festival

Considering the recent box-office faring of superstar awaited films during festival PR
departments have to learn a few lessons. They have to stop tomtoming and prove it in action
instead. They have to stop addressing their clients with superlative epithets and stop
describing their forthcoming releases as superhits in advance. Don’t do it, you are harming
your client and embarrassing his fans.
Granted that Sunny Deol surprised everyone with Gaddar sequel but one swallow does not
make summer so can we wait for 10 April 2025 before announcing the film as a super hit.
The marketing department over amplifies in order to upgrade their client little realising that
you are down scaling the brand by promising too much.

It is nice to watch Gujarati cinema come out of the villages and raise concerns on multiple
issues. Forthcoming Jai Mata Ji: Let’s Rock is an unusual subject in the sense, it tells the
story of an 80-year-old grandmother, whose life is turned topsy turvy due to a government
scheme called Jai Mata Ji: Let’s Rock. It is a comedy but also a social satire shedding light on
family relationships, financial struggles, and the treatment of elders in society. What is
attractive about the release is the promotion campaign. The unit released the poster of the
film at Maniben Tribhuvan Matru Griha (Old Age Home) in Ahmedabad amidst all the
senior citizens. The grandmother character played by Vandana Pathak, is an inspiration to all
the elders to live life to the fullest and at your terms

Recently I came across a wonderful initiative and felt I had to mention it in this space.
Soul Connect ( love the title) is an initiative of social anthropologist Vinod Joshi and Mita Kapur, founder and CEO of Siyahi, India’s leading literary consultancy.

Joshi and Kapur decided to recreate an old tradition almost forgotten in modern India. The duo are reviving  our practice of listening to Morning Ragas collectively inside a temple. It is their dream to revive ancient,

authentic Indian performing art and artists.

In the month of April Soul Connect will be hosting several musical events including a Ram Navmi where Dr Jitendra Rana and group will perform at Shri Ram Chandraji Temple, Chandpole, Jaipur.

What made you initiate this dream project I asked Mita Kapur and  her a see was “Passion, both Joshiji and I looked at it as an opportunity to give back to the city, to encourage artists, to appreciate and honour heritage and to celebrate our rich culture and architecture. This way we are ensuring that the temples are well maintained and music lovers are  celebrating tradition”.

The film industry is facing one crisis after another. The theatres are empty despite film producers claiming a business of 100 plus crores. Every Friday the industry faces threats of piracy and despite utmost caution and stringent laws, the menace continues. This week Salman Khan’s much awaited action thriller Sikander was leaked on several infamous platforms and websites resulting in heavy losses to the film.

A few days ago, the Cinefil Producers association addressed another burning issue at their AGM meet. They unveiled Royalties Distribution Policy that will ensure fair revenue sharing for all filmmakers. Veteran filmmaker Pahlaj Nihalani  described it as a landmark decision that was long overdue.