Takže pozor - dnes jsme před posledním filmem ROCK ON!! ve 20.00 ve velkém sále kina Světozor vyhlásili výsledky obou našich soutěží:



Diváckou cenu za nejlepší krátký film obdržel snímek SUPERMANI Z MALEGAONU / SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON. Režírovala jej Faiza Ahmad Khan. Cena obnáší šest rolí 35mm filmové suroviny, které věnovala firma KODAK.

Faiza Ahmad Khan



Fotografickou soutěž vyhrála a do Indie se společností Gulf Air poletí Petra Jirková. Její fotografie byla označena písmenem -K-.



Vítězům gratulujeme a těšíme se na vaše další fotografie příští rok.

PRAGUE - MAIN HOO NAA

It's a packed show. The lights finally dim and the hall grows quiet in anticipation. It is about to begin. This year's Prague Bollywood Festival's screening of Farah Khan's Main Hoo Naa.


Some may ask why we brought this film back to the festival again. I wish they had attended this afternoon's screening, as seeing (and hearing) the audience's excitement and sheer enjoyment would have answered the question for them once and for all.

But for those who missed it, here is a small excerpt:

The villains plan a preemptive assassination attempt. The life of an innocent student hangs in the balance as a precisely fired bullet whistles through the air (in slow motion of course). All seems lost and then... out of nowhere, Pratap Singh Sharma (aka Shahrukh Khan) plunges through the air to save the clueless student's life. With an exclamation of disgust, the villains roll up the tinted windows of their range rover to make a speedy exit. Unabated, Sharma sets out in hot pursuit.... in a bicycle rickshaw. Dazzling even the most jaded action movie flicks, the rickshaw transforms into a speed machine as Sharma performs tricks akin to the asian action flicks and matrix types (and openly inspired by them too). He dodges a flying lamppost. Pedals furiously to escape an exploding tunnel, and plunges into the air only to fire a perfectly aimed bullet.....

For our festival audiences, Main Hoo Naa pulls together the best elements of what draws Czechs to Bollywood movies. There are the crazy plot turns. There are the romantic escapades. There are the action moments. There are song-and-dance sequences. And there is, ultimately, the tear-jerking (admit it, you cried too) happy-end. But even more than all this, there is a conscious play on all these elements allowing us to enter into the complicit world of Bollywood, fully aware that we are all (the audiences and film-makers alike) in on this fun filled, and light-hearted 180 minute jaunt.



Oh and, for those who have not made it to the festival today. Our evening screenings were SOLD OUT shows. Introduced by a live dance performance by Vendula Uhyrkova (Garam Masala), our screening of Rab Na Bana Di Jodi is right now bringing out the happier side of audiences.



Join us tomorrow for a packed program... and our Bollywood Party at Klub PM (doors open at 10pm). Here are a few photos from last year's party to get you in the mood:

THIS SEVENTH YEAR

Well, Radim set the stage for more personal contributions. I feel compelled to follow suit.

So this is our seventh year. I am well aware that we have said this many times, but I still feel a need to pause once more. This time, I am not thinking the fact that this festival has been around for seven years (which is in itself no small achievement), nor am I touting the growth of the festival over this time (as I think this is no longer needed). Rather, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the amazing, loyal and still growing group of crazy, yet tolerant, people who make up the festival organizing team (Yes, David G, Jana V, Jana T, Manish, Anila and Judita this includes you and many more). Way back seven years ago (and when we were all that much younger), it was about three people (Radim, Hanka and yours truly) who really wanted a place where they could watch Bollywood (and other Indian) films. Perhaps, we simply wanted a place to call our own, were we could be ourselves.


The next few years brought substantial growth and with it came more work and responsibility. And yes, there were many, many times, when I asked myself whether the pain, the stress, and strain on friendships was worth the trouble of putting on a Festival year after year. These questions were always temporarily answered on the opening night when the audiences piled into the theater to watch, participate and frolic with the world of Bollywood cinema.

But through all the years, I never really stopped to acknowledge that the reason I stayed on board is less about the promotion of Indian cinema in the Czech Republic, and more (and still more) about the unconventionally vibrant community that formed and continues to grow as we plan, stress and once again put on the festival every year. On our seventh anniversary (building on Radim's birthday theme), we have grown stronger, bolder and larger. And yet, we are as crazy as ever.

And so, I raise a glass to the the festival team's young and old(er). To many more plans, celebrations, conflicts and crises of this seventh year.
Sangita