Bollywood stars featured in Never Say Goodbye, to be screened at Tto fest
Canadian Press
Published: Thursday, July 20, 2006
TORONTO (CP) - A woman condemned to the fringes of society, post 9-11 Afghanistan and a sweeping Bollywood love story are among the tales Indian filmmakers will bring to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Never Say Goodbye (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna) , directed by Karan Johar, is a romantic and humorous examination of marriage against the backdrop of New York City. It features several high-profile actors, including Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, considered India’s top leading man.
Other films to be screened at the festival include Kabir Khan’s Kabul Express, which follows the lives of five culturally and politically diverse characters through 48 hours in post 9-11 Afghanistan.
A Grave-Keeper’s Tale (Maati Maay in Marathi) , directed by Bollywood actress Chitra Palekar, tells the story of a woman (Nandita Das) branded a witch and condemned to the fringes of society. The film also stars Atul Kulkarni.
The story is based on Mahasweta Devi’s story Baayen (Witch) on a woman gravedigger with an infant son.
Chitra is ex-wife of Amol Palekar and has written screenplay of Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen and Dhyasparva (Marathi), co-scripted for Bangarwadi (Marathi) and also acted and produced for Akriet (Marathi). She has also been associate director and scriptwriter for Kairee (Marathi) and scripted Daayra.
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival runs from Sept. 7 to 16 and features hundreds of films shown on 23 screens in the city’s downtown.
