Bipasha Sushmita, Rani, Moushmi Chatterjee honoured at Kolkata Fest

New York, Aug 4: National Award-winning documentary "Son Rise" and Geetu Mohandas-directed "Moothon" were among the films that took home the big honours at the 20th New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), which switched to a virtual edition this year amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 45 feature-length narratives, shorts and documentaries from the Indian subcontinent were showcased at the festival’s virtual edition that ran for 10 days beginning July 24.

The films programmed were in various languages including Assamese, Bengali, Haryanvi, Hindi, English, Ladakhi, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali and Tamil.

The award ceremony for the festival was held virtually Sunday, with the filmmakers, cast, award winners and festival officials joining from across India and the US.

The award for the Best Documentary (Short) went to Saurav Vishnu-directed "Tailing Pond", which highlights the "horrifying effects of uranium extraction on the health of the indigenous population" of Jadugoda, Jharkhand.

"Son Rise" by Vibha Bakshi won the award for Best Documentary (Feature).

The documentary had won the National Award for the Best non-feature film in 2019 and was among the two centrepieces hosted by the festival this year. NYIFF called "Son Rise" “a powerful documentary about patriarchy in Haryana and efforts by a few good men to bring meaningful change in the society.”

The award for Best Short (Narrative) went to Sanat Ganu's "Arabian Nights". The narrative focuses on a child, his imaginary friend and a family that attends a conference where the attendees believe the earth is flat.

Director and scriptwriter Sudhanshu Saria accepted the award for Best Screenplay for "Knock Knock Knock". Saria’s screenplay “explores the lonely life of a man, an unlikely friendship that may or may not be real.”

Sanjana Dipu won the award for Best Child Actor for "Moothon" for her performance of a teenager in search of a brother.

Garggi Ananthan won the Best Actress award for her role as Kalyani in the film "Run Kalyani" and the Best Actor award went to Malayalam star Nivin Pauly for "Moothon". The award for the Best Director went to 23-year old Achal Mishra for "Gamak Ghar".

"Moothon" won the award for Best Film and its director Mohandas accepted the award for the film, which is "about love and loss that travels from the quiet, lush beaches of Lakshadweep to the mad hustle-bustle of the streets of Mumbai."

Produced by award-winning Indian film director and writer Anurag Kashyap, "Moothon" had premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

NYIFF festival director Aseem Chhabra said that the process of searching for films for the festival began last fall and they were ready to showcase them to audiences in New York in April but had to change plans for the festival due to the pandemic.

"I know the best way to enjoy films is in a theatre with the audience and have live interactions, conversations. But the virtual festival is the next best option and in the process, we have been able to reach out to a much larger audience in the US, North America as well in several other countries.”

NYIFF said that a virtual edition expanded the reach of the festival and audiences from 95 countries were able to access and view the films.

Dr Nirmal Mattoo, Chairman of the Indo-American Arts Council, co-founder and owner of Atlantic Dialysis Management services, the largest private dialysis provider in New York State, said NYIFF works with an independent jury - filmmakers, film professors, writers and critics.

Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), the leading cultural organisation, presents the festival.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the closure of theatres but we believe that in such trying times arts, including films are even more important for the community’s well-being. So, this year we have decided to bring the films directly into your living rooms.” IAAC Vice-Chairman Rakesh Kaul had said.

The New York Indian Film Festival is the oldest Indian film event in North America. Over the years, the festival has held New York premieres of a wide range of films, many of them critically acclaimed, including "Monsoon Wedding", "The Namesake", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Shahid", "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" and "Gangs of Wasseypur". 

Mumbai, Aug 6: Taking over the case of the controversial death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the CBI on Thursday registered a case naming six persons, including his actress-girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members.

Besides Rhea, others named in the FIR are her family members Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandya Chakraborty and Showik Chakraborty as well as his house manager Samuel Miranda and the actress' manager and publicist Shruti Modi.

The registration of the case came a day after the Centre informed the Supreme Court that it has asked the CBI to take over the case following a reference from the Bihar government.

The entry of the CBI will not be to the liking of Maharashtra government, as it has already raised objection to the move, saying Bihar does not have any jurisdiction for a probe, as the incident happened in Mumbai.

The CBI has invoked charges related to criminal conspiracy, abetment of suicide, wrongful restrain, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation against those named in the FIR.

The case will be probed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the Superintendent of Police Nupur Prasad. DIG Gagandeep Gambhir and Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar will supervise the investigations.

The CBI FIR is based on a case registered by Patna Police on a complaint filed by the actor's father Krishna Kishore Singh, who accused Rhea and others of abetting Sushant's suicide and misappropriating his assets. The Patna Police had invoked sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and abetment to suicide among others.

The 34-year-old actor hailing from Bihar, known for his stellar performance in Kai Poche and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story among others, died by suicide on June 14 in his apartment in Bandra in Mumbai on June 14. Mumbai Police has registered a case and had been investigating various angles when Sushant's father also registered a case in Patna against Rhea and others.

The case ran into controversy as Mumbai Police and the state government questioned the locus standi of their Patna counterparts with one of the senior Bihar Police officers who landed in Mumbai was sent to quarantine by state authorities.

Sushant's death had raised shackles with several actors and others questioning the nepotism in Bollywood after it emerged that he was under depression as he was not getting his due in the film industry.

It also assumed political colours with a section alleging that top Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's son Aditya Thackeray, also a Minister, has links to the incident. Aditya has denied any links.

BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, had demanded CBI inquiry in the case.

The Bihar government acted fast in referring the case to the CBI, as the state was going to Assembly elections later this year and there was anguish among people over the state.

So far, Mumbai Police have recorded statements of 56 people, including Rajput's sisters, Rhea, and others from the film industry, after registering an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

The Enforcement Directorate has earlier registered a money laundering case against Rhea and others on the basis of the FIR filed by Patna Police. The agency on Thursday quizzed Miranda while it summoned Rhea for questioning on Friday.

Earlier, Rhea had approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case registered by Patna Police to Maharashtra. In her plea, she had said that she was in a live-in relationship with Sushant from a year up till June 8 when the petitioner had temporarily shifted to her own residence in Mumbai. She has been in deep trauma due the death of the actor and moreover getting rape and death threats.

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