I first saw Suchitra Krishnamoorthi in a film called Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa. She was young, vivacious and there was no reason her career shouldn’t have taken off but it didn’t. She was unaffected and quite frankly didn’t particularly try hard to fit into the rat race. She was a successful model, came from an educated family and was not fiercely ambitious.

Over the   decades, she fell in love with filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, got married and had a baby, Kaaveri, today a grown-up girl and an accomplished singer.  The wonderful thing is that Suchitra truly discovered herself after her divorce. She is not just a professional actor dabbling in movies and theatre but a trained singer with many albums to her credit. She is a poet and a published author, a painter. On her 48^th birthday I wish her the best in all she does.

I am of the generation of journalists who saw Smita Patil pregnant.  The magazine I edited featured a pregnant Smita talking about her baby. We reported on her delivery and why Smita and also the post-natal complications. Nobody expected Smita Patil to die but she did and it was a funeral to remember.

For a while Prateik was brought up by his maternal grandparents but he spent time with his father’s family as well and proudly wore his surname. I often wonder what kind of a life Prateik would have had if his mother was alive. Maybe she would have charted out a different path for his career. Would he have been more successful? It is a difficult question to answer but he would definitely have been more secure and happy. Anyway, Prateik has worn his cross gracefully and on his special birthday, I wish him all the best.

Critics describe Luca Guadagnino movies as visually stunning. Be it I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015), the Academy Award-winning film Call Me by Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018), feature documentary Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams (2020). Bones and All (2022) won Guadagnino the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival 2022. He made his TV debut with the HBO drama series We Are Who We Are (2020), which he created, directed, wrote, and produced. His film Challengers starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, releases in April 2024, and currently he is in the post-production of his next feature based on William S. Burroughs’ novel Queer.

One of the key highlights of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival this year is going to be the masterclasses by these two veterans. India loves their work, and they are an inspiration for established as well as budding filmmakers across the world.

MAMI aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and provide easy access to information related to filmmaking, funding, film distribution, business opportunities, and strategic marketing support for films and filmmakers.

It is that time of the year when the city is buzzing with film and theatre festivals. MAMI festival is in full swing and international filmmakers are in town enjoying the sun and the big screen. This year MAMI is honouring two renowned directors Mani Ratnam and Luca Guadagnino. with the Excellence in Cinema Award. The award honours individuals who have made outstanding, long-lasting contributions to the world of film and cinema and the previous recipients include Darren Aronofsky, Sharmila Tagore, Fernando Meirelles, and Chen Kaige.

Mani Ratnam is one of the most celebrated directors from South Asia. His cinema has explored different themes and addressed varied issues. His characters are complex and deeply rooted in a cultural and social context. His most notable movies include Mouna Ragam (1986), Nayakan (1987), Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Iruvar (1997), Alaipayuthey (2000), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Guru (2007), and Ponniyin Selvan (1 & 2).

Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), has brought the best of contemporary world cinema and talent to the city of Mumbai since 1997. With its new expanded vision to spotlight South Asian and South Asian diaspora filmmakers, Jio MAMI becomes the hub for South Asia, discovering and connecting emerging talent to the worldwide festival ecosystem.

Manav Kaul’s Hindi book is translated into English A Bird on My Windowsill by Nandini Kumar Nickerson. The concept is interesting because in Manav’s world, memories are like little birds perched upon the windowsill of time. There are no boundaries between thoughts and reality and the past and the present form a mirror that disintegrates into the memory of a single day…Known for writing silences and articulating dreams, Manav once again sifts through his creative impulses, creates vignettes of his life, a long-lost love, his interactions with people as he travels. Sensitive, symbolic, this book creates a rich tapestry of emotions, isolation and reflection.

 Born in Baramulla, Kashmir, the author has been an integral part of the film world, acting, directing and writing for the past twenty years. His books Theek Tumhare Peeche (Right Behind You) and Prem Kabootar (Love Pigeon) have been dominating the Neilson bestseller list.

It is that time of the year when Prithvi Theatre starts preparing for its special day. Gearing up for its 38th edition of the festival which runs from November 3-13 and takes off with a performance by Shubha Mudgal followed by iconic directors like Makarand Deshpande, Nimmy Raphael, Akarsh Khurana and Daniel Owen D’souza. Featuring the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah there is a classical music show by the Symphony Orchestra of India and Jazz performed and curated by Louiz Banks.

It is going to be a celebration for 11 days packed with 30 shows,7 Languages
12 Theatre Groups and10 Platform Performances