A still from the movie Lakshmi
London:
A hard-hitting film about the brutalities of India's illicit child trafficking industry opened the London Asian Film Festival (LAFF) here. (Also Read: Movie Review: Lakshmi)
Lakshmi, based on the real-life story of a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her village in Andhra Pradhesh and forced into prostitution, has been written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.
"This is the kind of film that changes you. It will move and repulse audiences but I don't think it would be possible to be dismissive about child trafficking after this," said Kukunoor, who also takes on the role of a nasty pimp in the film.
"I would just like to say that the violence in the film is all clever editing, I have never hit a woman in my life," he told an extremely moved audience at the end of he film's UK premiere at Tricycle Cinema in London yesterday.
In real life, Lakshmi goes on to eventually testify in court against her traffickers, setting a precedence for such cases in the legal arena.
"It is a kind of scarring that one would live with for a long time. However, Lakshmi is now a happy, intelligent woman working at the same rescue shelter which gave her refuge," added the director of successful off-beat films like Hyderabad Blues and Iqbal.
Lakshmi kicks off a 12-day celebration of independent South Asian arts and cinema across London as it returns for the 16th year.
Another highlight of this year's festival will be the event 'Remembering Yash Chopra', where Pamela Chopra, the wife of the late Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra and actor Anupam Kher will be in conversation with Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) here on Saturday.
Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry, organiser of the festival, said, "In Indian cinema, The late Yash Chopra is regarded as the king of romance who presented the notion of falling in love with a sense of aspiration, escapism and adventure.
"His love for Britain was evident in iconic films like Lamhe and Jab Tak Hai Jaan and he left behind a unique legacy of visual aesthetics that continue to inspire a new generation of filmmakers."
This year's LAFF, presented by the non-profit organisation Tongues on Fire, also includes a tribute to the late Indian filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh. The high points of the festival will be a special screening of Jeevan Smriti, Rituparno's last completed feature as well as a tribute to the legendary Rabindranath Tagore next week.
Lakshmi, based on the real-life story of a 14-year-old girl kidnapped from her village in Andhra Pradhesh and forced into prostitution, has been written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.
"This is the kind of film that changes you. It will move and repulse audiences but I don't think it would be possible to be dismissive about child trafficking after this," said Kukunoor, who also takes on the role of a nasty pimp in the film.
"I would just like to say that the violence in the film is all clever editing, I have never hit a woman in my life," he told an extremely moved audience at the end of he film's UK premiere at Tricycle Cinema in London yesterday.
In real life, Lakshmi goes on to eventually testify in court against her traffickers, setting a precedence for such cases in the legal arena.
"It is a kind of scarring that one would live with for a long time. However, Lakshmi is now a happy, intelligent woman working at the same rescue shelter which gave her refuge," added the director of successful off-beat films like Hyderabad Blues and Iqbal.
Lakshmi kicks off a 12-day celebration of independent South Asian arts and cinema across London as it returns for the 16th year.
Another highlight of this year's festival will be the event 'Remembering Yash Chopra', where Pamela Chopra, the wife of the late Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra and actor Anupam Kher will be in conversation with Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema at London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) here on Saturday.
Dr Pushpinder Chowdhry, organiser of the festival, said, "In Indian cinema, The late Yash Chopra is regarded as the king of romance who presented the notion of falling in love with a sense of aspiration, escapism and adventure.
"His love for Britain was evident in iconic films like Lamhe and Jab Tak Hai Jaan and he left behind a unique legacy of visual aesthetics that continue to inspire a new generation of filmmakers."
This year's LAFF, presented by the non-profit organisation Tongues on Fire, also includes a tribute to the late Indian filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh. The high points of the festival will be a special screening of Jeevan Smriti, Rituparno's last completed feature as well as a tribute to the legendary Rabindranath Tagore next week.
