:: Kishwar Desai

The Swiss serve tangy tandoori

By Kishwar Desai

Till the ghastly terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the film festival was sailing along, helped by Goa’s natural ambience. For me, Goa is always beautiful, especially after the cold, shivery showers of London. There is something about the sight of hibiscus flowers and palm trees that immediately sends me into a swoon of relaxation. It is a stupor that many are permanently afflicted by in Goa, and one has to try hard to remember that outside of the state’s periphery there are many who are still leading stressed lives. And that the recession (probably) still exists.

Therefore, it is always a bit startling for the local residents when the International Film Festival of India descends, like a silvery cloud of activity, and Panjim has to forcibly link up with the rest of the world. It is literally like watching a slow Ritwik Ghatak film being ruthlessly converted into a fast-paced Oliver Stone movie — without informing the actors. The dissonance between the pace — one leisurely and measured and the other frantic and paranoid — makes everything a little out of sync. But then, cinema always requires a suspension of disbelief. And that makes everything so much more fun.

Unlike all those who are carping and cribbing, I have enjoyed everything about the festival so far, but for the inaugural speeches which were far too many and some far too long. And Rekha’s speech, on the other hand, was far too short. Perhaps, next year they could simply press a button and the curtain will lift to the opening film.

It is always great to see friends from Delhi, especially Anand Sharma, who is now juggling two jobs very deftly: as the minister of state for information and broadcasting, as well as the minister for state at the MEA. In fact, I have been extremely impressed by the entire team from Delhi, led by the able S.M. Khan, who only took over a few months ago. None of this detracts from the constant party which goes on during the festival, and it has been a fairly exhausting combination of watching movies, networking and then partying every evening. I have met the most interesting producers, directors and film lovers. Of course, for reasons unknown to me, people are actually lamenting the lack of filmstars and celebrities. But don’t we need them on-screen than off-screen during festivals?

On another positive note, apart from a poster exhibition, this time the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) has a series of archival films running simultaneously. A delightful presentation was that of the silent film Kalia Mardan made by Dadasaheb Phalke in 1919 — on the childhood of Lord Krishna. This time the NFAI had commissioned live Indian music to be played along with it, with the NFAI director himself playing the tabla! It is enterprise like this which cheers one up immensely.

Another cheery film was a Swiss take on Bollywood, Tandoori Love, which ran to a packed house. Made as a light-hearted spoof which spares neither the Swiss nor the Indians, Tandoori Love is about the adventures of an Indian cook in Switzerland after he escapes from a Bollywood shoot. He has fallen in love with a Swiss waitress he met at the supermarket and wants to woo her with the best Indian cuisine. Oliver Paulus, who directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay, has been enamoured with India for a long time — and this movie is his amusing tribute. While watching the film I was immediately struck by the fact that while Bollywood has shot thousands of films in Switzerland, they have never really attempted to create a single credible Swiss character. On the other hand, Paulas has tried to actually give us an insight into Swiss and Indian pride and prejudice. For instance, the difference in the way the two countries treat their hired help. The film did cause a few ripples of unease, as most of us love to hang on to our very own bias. "It’s a fun film but an Indian girl would never fall in love with the cook in India," said the pretty young thing sitting next to me. In a strange way, even though it is meant to be a comedy, Tandoori Love turned out one of the more provocative films of the festival.

There can never be a festival without a controversy and the cancellation of M.F. Husain’s award winning film was a huge dampener. Cultural policing among Goa’s liberal environment is a discordant note which seems to be getting more and more shrill every day. But luckily, the very next day we learnt that good sense had prevailed and the film was going to be screened.