In a moment of true metamorphosis
for the Indian film fraternity, Mumbai witnessed two cinematic legends
celebrating Shakespeare’s world-wide influence on education, society &
culture. Sharing their own cinematic journeys, Megastars Sir Ian Mc Kellen and
Aamir Khan shared an inspiring conversation at the debut of Mumbai Academy of
Moving Images’ (MAMI) Film Club at NCPA today.
Hallmarking the 400th anniversary
of Shakespeare’s death, MAMI Film Club (in association with the British
Council, the BFI, GREAT, NCPA and Fountainhead) brought together megastars Sir
Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khan to share a dialogue exploring the many adaptations
and interpretations of Shakespeare’s work that filmmakers across borders have
showcased for the big screen. This mega-event was presented as a part of
‘Shakespeare Lives’ - a global programme launched by the British Council and
the GREAT Britain Campaign.
Joined by the who’s who of the
Indian film and business fraternity, this star-studded launch event saw the
likes of Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Imran Khan, Kiran Rao, Kabir Khan, Mini
Mathur, Rajkumar Rao, Vinod Chopra (and many more) amongst the other 150
well-known faces that attended the prestigious programme.
Sharing narrative on how
Shakespeare lives on in film and the extent of his work that has surpassed
boundaries, Sir Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khan used the MAMI Film Club’s launch
as the perfect persuasive platform to investigate the nature of historic cinema
and its portrayal of the legendary playwright’s most loved characters via some
formidable movie picks. The conversation not only examined ignited
story-telling ideas by lauded filmmakers’ world-wide, but also shed light upon
little known secrets about the author’s life that influenced his characters and
their portrayal on the big screen.
Having appeared in more than half
of Shakespeare’s plays staged all over the world, Sir Ian Mc Kellen in
conversation said, “There is nothing old fashioned about Shakespeare. You
cannot understand Shakespeare in a classroom or by reading. The right medium to
discover his true genius is through theatre with the right actors, the right
director (the way it is meant to be) as theatre, film and cinema are the best
media to experience him. His thinking is about modernism and issues that are
relevant even today, hence his work travels across the globe!”
Sharing his enthusiasm further,
method actor/genius Aamir Khan added, “The first time I experienced Shakespeare
was in the tenth grade when I studied Julius Caeser. It opened my world to a
newness I had never known (before). Infact, my first movie was also inspired by
Romeo and Juliet, a true Shakespearean classic.
It was an honour sharing stage with a legend, I feel discussions like
these influence the artists in all of us and inspire us to become better at our
crafts.”
Through year-round activities
such as screenings, masterclasses, in-depth conversations with talent, and
workshops, the MAMI Film Club aims to serve as a platform for filmmakers and
film lovers, to explore their deep-rooted passion for cinema and to inspire and
fuel creativity across genres.
Ms Kiran Rao, Chairperson, MAMI
says, “It’s time for the world to stand-up and take notice of Indian cinema and
its contribution to film-making globally. Shakespearean adaptions in Indian
movies (as well) prove testament to the fact that we are on the brink of an
amazing journey ahead. MAMI via its Film Club and other year long initiatives
aims to satiate the exact same hunger for great story-telling one movie at a
time. ”
Ms. Anupama Chopra, Director,
MAMI feels, “2016 is a year of transformation for MAMI and this conversation
piece was a strategic move in the right direction towards its bright future. We
aim to make this festival one of international acclaim and masterclasses cum
workshops such as this ensure that we bring to our country a slice of
intelligent, researched and respected cinema from the world over. We deeply
appreciate the support extended to MAMI by all our partners in ensuring the
roaring success of our first event this year and would also like to thank title
partner Jio and associate partner Star Network for their continued support in
building the academy.”
Ms. Smriti Kiran, Creative
Director, MAMI said, “The MAMI Film Club is our education mouth-piece where we
invite members of the film-industry to learn from one another and establish a
cohesive friendship with the sole aim to uplifting Indian film-making and
opening minds of budding movie-makers to explore the yet unknown territories of
cinematic brilliance. Sir Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khan enthralled the audience
with their insights and tongue-in-cheek humour, teaching us that there is never
is a ceiling for creativity as long as you believe.”
The MAMI Film Club plans to
organize a film-based event every month starting May. For more details, visit MAMI website on
http://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/ to enroll and stay up to date with the
latest events and festival related updates.
The MAMI Film Club is a platform
for filmmakers and film lovers, which is dedicated to igniting and cultivating
a passion for cinema. Through year-round activities such as screenings,
masterclasses, in-depth conversations with talent, and workshops, the Club aims
to inspire and fuel creativity. There
will also be activities designed to engage children and young adults, with the
vision to nurture our future audiences. Besides screening a host of curated
series of uncensored movies and the best of cinema from around the world, masterclasses
will be hosted with some of the most renowned and successful creators working
in film, both from India and abroad, to encourage conversations on cinema with
an aim to nurture, support, engage, educate and entertain. As a pre-cursor to
Half-Ticket, MAMI’s year round roster of activities will also feature Special
Film Programmes for Children and Young Adults to introduce cinema from all
around the world to them and do post screening sessions. The club will also
have a special focus on Knowledge Bootcamps that will be held for industry
members to encourage and enable exchange of knowledge and information within
the industry, and foster a more cohesive work culture.
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