Seema Biswas, Shriya Saran Walk the Red Carpet at Toronto Film Festival

The posh Toronto International Film Festival, which opens on September 10, has a unique lineup of Indian films this year.

The two Bollywood entries are Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Raashee, and first time director Anurag Singh’s Dil Bole Hadippa. Both share a common trait. They’re both female-centric products from a film industry notorious for male domination.

And now Dilip Mehta; brother to Deepa Mehta, has just been selected for the Toronto Film Festival. He has been selected in the prestigious Gala section that opens the festival, where Jon Amiel’s Creation a biopic on Charles Darwin is being premiered.

Dilip who has earlier made a much-acclaimed documentary on Indian widows is singularly kicked by the honor. “The Toronto International Film Festival is, after Cannes, undoubtedly the most significant festival worldwide. To have one’s film participate in it is glory enough, but to have a Gala screening, and a world premiere is mind-blowing.”

This was the very section where Dilip’s sister Deepa’s elegiac Water had been premiered in Toronto, two years ago.

Dilip’s film is in a different mood space. “For 34 years I have covered death, misfortune, war, plagues and other human tragedies for Time, Newsweek, National Geographic and other such major journals. I entered the world of cinema with The Forgotten Woman, a hard documentary to portray the reality of the widows of India. Similarly,Cooking With Stella, also looks at a classic Indian tragedy, that of servants and employers but without wanting to give a lecture on morality.”

Cooking With Stella was short listed for the Opening Gala of the Toronto festival, along with Creation.

Says Dilip, “For me as first-time feature director, this was such a tremendous high to have our film in the company of such an amazing film. Creation nipped us all in the post, but we were right up there. TIFF selected Cooking With Stella for a Gala screening for our world premiere on September 16.”

Seema Biswas and Shriya Saran will be there, gracing the red carpet. Enthuses Dilip, “The numbers are daunting. Approximately 3000 plus films are submitted for TIFF, which along with Cannes is the most significant film festival in the world today. Of these 350- plus are selected for the Festival of which 15 or so have the distinction of a Gala screening at the amazing Roy Thomson Hall.”

Two Bollywood films to be premiered at Toronto film fest

Yash Raj Films’ “Dil Bole Hadippa” and Ashutosh Gowariker’s “What’s Your Rashee?” will have their world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) here in September, organisers have announced.
The world’s biggest audience-based film festival runs Sep 10-19.

Set for release Sep 18 in India, “Dil Bole Hadippa” is directed by Anurag Singh. It is a hilarious drama-comedy with Shahid Kapoor (Rohan) and Rani Mukherjee (Veera Kaur) in lead roles.

It also features Anupam Kher, Dalip Tahil, Rakhee Sawant and Sherlyn Chopra.

The highlights of the film include Veera Kaur putting on a turban and beard and becoming Veer Pratap Singh to play cricket in a village where girls are forbidden from playing the sport.

Her performance earns her a place in Rohan’s team, kicking off their roller-coaster journey filled with music, romance and comedy through Punjab and beyond, said a statement by the organisers here.

“What’s Your Rashee?”, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, is another Indian film making its international premiere at the festival.

Based on the Gujarati novel “Kimball Ravenswood” by Madhu Arya, this romantic comedy stars Priyanka Chopra and her former beau Harman Baweja.

Its storyline revolves around a young man who has always wanted to marry for love. When he is suddenly told that he must find his dream girl within 10 days to save his family from ruin, he discovers that finding her in a hurry is tough.

Deepa Mehta’s “Heaven on Earth” had its world premiere at the festival last year. Anees Bazmee’s hit “Singh is Kinng” and Nandita Das’s directorial debut “Firaaq” also had their gala premiere last year.

Called a people’s festival as opposed to industry-based Cannes, the Toronto festival generates revenue by selling over 300,000 tickets each year.

Last year, more than 300 films from 64 countries were screened at the festival which has become a major global film festival since its beginning in 1976.