Its Indie season! From now till the end of year we celebrate the sincere efforts of the independent film makers who use this platform of showcasing pure talent. This year we have a very interesting variety of underground to commercial minds participating in the competition. Lets hope for the best and begin to write your Q’s for the maker’s!

Bhonsle

Devashish Makhija who shocked the audience last year with his outing Ajji is back with Manoj Bajpayee, Bajpayee plays a terminally ill, retired cop living in a chawl, where a local goon is trying to intimidate a handful of Bihari residents. Said to be kept in the similar tone as Ajji, said to be Bajpayee’s highest ranking performance to date which is going to be a delight for his loyalists!

Mehsampur

Is it a documentary or fiction or a docu-fiction? The film is a film within a film exploring the controverial life of legendary Punjabi folk singer Chamkila and his mysterious death that took place in Mehsampur. In finding details of Chamkila’s life, who was gunned down in 1988 at the age of 27, Film maker Kabir Chowdhry sets out another director (Devrath Joshi, perhaps playing himself) on the course of the story.It gets out of hand when as Devrath encounters a range of peculiar people on this journey, but its intriguing structure will keep the viewers fascinated.

Bulbul Can Sing

While Village Rockstars is enjoying its joy of success being India’s entry to the Oscars, Rima Das’s latest offering makes it to MAMI. Bulbul Can Sing has a lot in common with Village Rockstars — both films are set in a village in Assam, and are coming-of-age stories shot in a quiet poetic style. Bulbul Can Sing follows Bulbul and her two friends Sumu and Bonny, all on the cusp of becoming independent and modern in their thinking as they confront challenges from traditional views in their village. The film presents a sense, possibility and reflection of a part of India that few of us experience.

Balekempa

Winning all the praises last year from NFDC’s Film Bazaar and containing represent Inida internationally, Ere Gowda’s film film about A village bangle seller and his wife cannot conceive a child; the villagers gossip. In this close-knit patriarchal community in Karnataka, hidden desires and relationships find a way to exist.

Mard Ko Dard Nai Hota

The opening film for the festival, Vasan Bala directs his second feature about A boy suffers from a rare disorder called congenital insensitivity to pain — the condition is life threatening but he tries to survive life by trying to fulfill his Kung Fu-VHS-filled day dreams.

Light in the Room

First-time film-maker Rahul Nair’s Light in the Room swept the Kerala state film awards earlier this year.  A film deals with the sensitive issue of domestic violence, there are some harrowing scenes of a crazy husband physically abusing his new wife. Nair places his characters in a remote mountainous part of Kerala with breathtaking views.

Soni

Director Ivan Ayr’s Soni was declared the best film in the Roberto Rossellini Awards section at the Pingyao International Film Festival. Soni is the story of female cops in Delhi.  Soni (Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) and her superior Kalpana (Saloni Batra)  both dealing with sexual harassment, patriarchy and being pushed into traditional roles at home and even at work, when they are in the presence of male bosses and colleagues.

The Sound Man Mangesh Desai 

Once upon a time, no Hindi language film could be ready for release in theatres without the magic touch of sound designer and mixer Mangesh Desai. In the pre-digital era, Desai enhanced the moods of films made by a number of film-makers including celebrated masters like V Shantaram, Satyajit Ray, Yash Chopra, Ramesh Sippy and Shyam Benegal. Subash Sahoo’s wonderful documentary The Sound Man Mangesh Desai is not just a tribute to a genius, but also a celebration of Indian films.

Hamid

The Kashmir conflict has generated quite a few political films, including strong documentaries. Aijaz Khan’s film is a sweet story narrated from the point of view of an innocent child who wants to talk to Allah to find the whereabouts of his father. Beautifully acted by newcomer Talha Arshad Reshi, who plays Hamid, and the lovely Rasika Duggal, who plays the child’s mother Ishrat.

Jonaki

Aditya Vikram Sengupta, after Asha Jaoar Majhe returns with his latest offer about a Jonaki, an 80-year-old woman, searches for love in a strange world of decaying memories, her lover, now old and grey, returns to a world she is leaving behind.