Indian Movies in SF film festival
sfiff.org
Terrorist
Directed by Santosh Sivan( The famous Cinematographer)
The title seems to promise a politically charged thriller, but The Terrorist is something else entirely. A veteran of 30 covert operations for a well-organized resistance outfit, 19-year-old Malli is chosen from an elite group of teenage terrorists to be a “thinking bomb” that dispatches a never-seen VIP. But Malli becomes increasingly disturbed by memories of violence and images of isolation and powerlessness; it is her physical and spiritual journey in the week leading up to the act that drives the plot. As button-pushing time approaches, whether she does or doesn't is no longer the point. The idea for the film sprang from the tragic circumstances of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, but the finished product is stripped of all specific political references. Further emphasizing the film's metaphorical nature is the facelessness of the killer's boss and of the victim, which feeds into Malli's growing isolation. The show belongs to young Ayesha Dharkar and she plays her part with a precise combination of natural beauty and mature nuance. Moody closeups and rainwashed exteriors underscore her struggle between the value of life and the satisfaction of commitment.
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Festival at a Glance
Country: India
Year: 1998
Running Time: 95 Min.
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Cast
Ayesha Dharkar, Vishnu Vardhan, Bhanu Prakash, K. Krishna, Sonu Sisupal
Producer
A. Sriram
Editor
A. Skreekar Prasad
Cinematographer
Sivan
Screenwriter
Sivan , Ravi Deshpande, Vijay Deveshwar
HATHI
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Directed by Philippe Gautier
An elephant emerges ghost-like from dense fog and sways across the frame, the mahout (or trainer) on its back at one with his mount. The opening shot of Philippe Gautier's lyrical first feature suggests both the intimate relationship between the men and their elephants and the disappearance of working elephants from the dwindling forests of southern India. Hathi tells its fact-based story using nonprofessionals, little dialogue and a narrative pace that matches the rhythms of village and forest life. At the age of 14, Makbul learns a mahout's skills from his father; when his father dies, Makbul takes his place with Vikrama, the elephant he has raised from birth. But after ten years of working together they are forced to separate. Makbul's journey north with his elephant comes to an end that leaves them both facing an uncertain future. Hathi offers many sensuous visual delights: elephants being washed in the river; Makbul taking water from a bucket, his arm, in silhouette, resembling an elephant's trunk; the elephants and their riders rolling through a green-leaved, sun-laced forest. Most memorable, however, is the feeling Hathi gives us of the mahout's way of life and of the powerful, intelligent and gentle animals at its center.
-- Sid Hollister
Additional Notes:
In Hindi with English subtitles.
Awards: SKYY PRIZE CONTENDER.
Alphabetical Listing by Title
Alphabetical Listing by Director
Festival at a Glance
Country: Canada/India
Year: 1998
Running Time: 97 Min.
Cast
Jamedar Sabu Saab, Kawadi Makbul, Noorullah , Pyare Jan
Producer
Rock Demers
Editor
Myriam Poirier
Cinematographer
Ivan Gekoff
Screenwriter
Prajna Chowta, Gautier
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