It is that time again when the best films from around the world collectively come together to feature the best in cinema. But we are primarily concerned with the films from India, i.e. Bollywood. This year, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will be screening a number of Bollywood films which will not only showcase some big stars but films but an array of documentaries and smaller films which seem like they will go on to make major waves when they release worldwide. Check out what will be featured in the coming weeks.
Dhobi Ghat – Kiran Rao
Dhobi Ghat brings Aamir Khan’s wife, Kiran Rao, to the forefront as she directs her first film. The star cast consists of her husband, Aamir Khan, Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra. Separated by class and language, each of the characters holds different stories and pasts. They come together and strike a unique friendship which not only will reveal unknown secrets but brings about reason to their otherwise brood life.
Soul of Sand – Sidharth Srinivasan
On the outskirts of Delhi, an old silica mine lays abandoned. A watchman still keeps his post each day, sitting attentively in the hot sun as security against absolutely nothing. It is both an existential absurdity and an occasional ironic reality in India, where feudal levels of duty still govern the lives of many. The watchman submits to his master’s every demand, certain that his very life depends on total obedience. Although his wife is disgusted by her husband’s subservience, she too appears to know her place. When she finds her own way of rebelling, it is a course that invites tragedy.
The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical – Sarah McCarthy
For one emotional night, a group of children living in a slum in Mumbai, India, get a chance to experience a different world as they perform The Sound of Music with a classical orchestra, fostering hopes that it could change their lives.
That Girl in Yellow Boots – Anurag Kashyap
Ruth is searching for her father – a man she hardly knew but cannot forget. Desperation drives her to work without a permit, at a massage parlour, where she gives ‘happy endings’ to unfulfilled men. Torn between several schisms, Mumbai becomes the backdrop for Ruth’s quest as she struggles to find her independence and space even as she is sucked deeper into the labyrinthine politics of the city’s underbelly.
Autumn – Aamir Bashir
Shot in striking, widescreen images in India’s Kashmir region, Bashir’s debut tells the story of Rafiq, a young man struggling to come to terms with the loss of his older brother, who has disappeared in the ongoing border conflict.
