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Deepika wows all
Mumbai Mirror | Dec 5, 2013, 12.12 AM IST
From top: Deepika Padukone threw in an impromptu performace replete with Bollywood moves at the Jemma El Fna Square; The actress with Sanjay Leela Bhansali; Martin Scorsese with Sharon Stone; (above) From L to R: Jury members Patricia Clarkson, Anurag Kashyap, Marion Cottilard and Scorsese
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An overview of the 13th edition of the Marrakech Film Festival.
Deepika Padukone dancing to Nagada sangh dhol baaje in a public square packed with thousands of screaming fans; Martin Scorsese passionately discussing Pather Panchali and how deeply the film affected him when he saw it at the age of 15--there aren't too many platforms which combine these experiences but the Marrakech International Film Festival does it with panache.
The 13th edition ran from November 29 to December 7 and saw more than 110 movies from 23 countries. There were red carpet premieres, after-parties, master classes and a staggering attendance of film talent from around the globe. Starting of course with the Oscar-winning Scorsese, who presided over the 10-member jury.
The 71-year-old filmmaker has been coming to Morocco since 1988, when he made two feature films there. In the jury press conference, Scorsese described Marrakech as "the crossroads of films and filmmakers from all over the world". He added: "We will exchange ideas, argue and showcase cinema." Looking at his awestruck fellow jurors, I wondered who would argue with the legend, widely considered the greatest living American director.
The names flanking Scorsese were strictly A-list - among others, Fatih Akin from Germany, Park Chan-Wook from South Korea, Paolo Sorrentino from Italy, Amat Escalante from Mexico, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard from France and our very own Anurag Kashyap. Beaming from ear-to-ear Anurag said, "I get to hang with the coolest people for 10 days." The cool factor extended far beyond the jury. The festival kicked off with a tribute to Sharon Stone, who danced joyously on stage before accepting her award and saying, "There are two words that could have gotten me on a plane from India to Morocco with my three children - Martin Scorsese."
Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda was also honored with a tribute. And the later half of the festival included a star-studded homage to Scandinavian cinema. Among those attending were Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn, the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Noomi Rapace and actor Mads Mikkelsen.
Amidst this flurry of international celebrities Bollywood stood tall. Marrakech is perhaps the world's only leading festival to have such a strong desi flavor - the opening film was Goliyon ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a resplendent Deepika Padukone soaked in the adoration of the local public who braved the biting cold and thronged to the famed Jemma El Fna Square for the public screening. The locals have a long love affair with Bollywood. Although Hindi films don't usually get a theatrical release here, for decades, pirated copies have fuelled an overwhelming passion.
The favourite is Shah Rukh Khan. Everywhere I went, people declared their love for him. My hair stylist spread his arms and started to sing, Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam. A manager at the staggeringly opulent Royal Mansour Hotel, where Martin Scorsese was staying, got me a table at their top-notch restaurant, because I'm from Shah Rukh's country. Even Melita Toscan du Plantier, the festival director, isn't impervious to his charms. "I've never met anyone as charismatic," she admitted.
The Festival was conceived in 2001 by Melita's husband, Daniel Toscan du Plantier, who was president of Unifrance and ex-CEO of Gaumont, one of the oldest film companies in the world. The events of September 11 threw the first event into disarray but King Mohammed VI insisted on going ahead with the festival, to show "that the terrorists haven't succeeded."
As Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami paid a tribute to Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche; Moroccans reveled in the riotous colors of Ram-Leela; Scorsese argued films with his multi-lingual, multinational jury and cinema diluted differences and geographies. We were all one. "This is what cinema does," Scorsese said. "It opens the door, your mind and your heart to the world.
An overview of the 13th edition of the Marrakech Film Festival.
Deepika Padukone dancing to Nagada sangh dhol baaje in a public square packed with thousands of screaming fans; Martin Scorsese passionately discussing Pather Panchali and how deeply the film affected him when he saw it at the age of 15--there aren't too many platforms which combine these experiences but the Marrakech International Film Festival does it with panache.
The 13th edition ran from November 29 to December 7 and saw more than 110 movies from 23 countries. There were red carpet premieres, after-parties, master classes and a staggering attendance of film talent from around the globe. Starting of course with the Oscar-winning Scorsese, who presided over the 10-member jury.
The 71-year-old filmmaker has been coming to Morocco since 1988, when he made two feature films there. In the jury press conference, Scorsese described Marrakech as "the crossroads of films and filmmakers from all over the world". He added: "We will exchange ideas, argue and showcase cinema." Looking at his awestruck fellow jurors, I wondered who would argue with the legend, widely considered the greatest living American director.
The names flanking Scorsese were strictly A-list - among others, Fatih Akin from Germany, Park Chan-Wook from South Korea, Paolo Sorrentino from Italy, Amat Escalante from Mexico, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard from France and our very own Anurag Kashyap. Beaming from ear-to-ear Anurag said, "I get to hang with the coolest people for 10 days." The cool factor extended far beyond the jury. The festival kicked off with a tribute to Sharon Stone, who danced joyously on stage before accepting her award and saying, "There are two words that could have gotten me on a plane from India to Morocco with my three children - Martin Scorsese."
Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda was also honored with a tribute. And the later half of the festival included a star-studded homage to Scandinavian cinema. Among those attending were Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn, the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Noomi Rapace and actor Mads Mikkelsen.
Amidst this flurry of international celebrities Bollywood stood tall. Marrakech is perhaps the world's only leading festival to have such a strong desi flavor - the opening film was Goliyon ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a resplendent Deepika Padukone soaked in the adoration of the local public who braved the biting cold and thronged to the famed Jemma El Fna Square for the public screening. The locals have a long love affair with Bollywood. Although Hindi films don't usually get a theatrical release here, for decades, pirated copies have fuelled an overwhelming passion.
The favourite is Shah Rukh Khan. Everywhere I went, people declared their love for him. My hair stylist spread his arms and started to sing, Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam. A manager at the staggeringly opulent Royal Mansour Hotel, where Martin Scorsese was staying, got me a table at their top-notch restaurant, because I'm from Shah Rukh's country. Even Melita Toscan du Plantier, the festival director, isn't impervious to his charms. "I've never met anyone as charismatic," she admitted.
The Festival was conceived in 2001 by Melita's husband, Daniel Toscan du Plantier, who was president of Unifrance and ex-CEO of Gaumont, one of the oldest film companies in the world. The events of September 11 threw the first event into disarray but King Mohammed VI insisted on going ahead with the festival, to show "that the terrorists haven't succeeded."
As Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami paid a tribute to Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche; Moroccans reveled in the riotous colors of Ram-Leela; Scorsese argued films with his multi-lingual, multinational jury and cinema diluted differences and geographies. We were all one. "This is what cinema does," Scorsese said. "It opens the door, your mind and your heart to the world.
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