NCPA to Host 2013 NAVE VALAN: MARATHI FILM FESTIVAL, Oct 4-8

Started in 2009 with an aim to showcase the best of Marathi cinema, The National Centre for the Performing Arts, India's premiere art and culture institution is back with its fifth annual edition of Nave Valan: Marathi Film Festival 2013 from 4th-8th October, 2013, at Little Theatre, NCPA.

This five day festival will showcase seven critically-acclaimed and national award winning films. At the end of each screening, the cast and crew shall be present for a discussion session with the audience.

The renaissance period for Marathi cinema began around 2004 as it embraced new thoughtprovoking themes. That was the year Shwaas became India's official entry for the Oscars. Marathi films took a new course since then and in 2009, the NCPA initiated Nave Valan, a festival dedicated to new-wave Marathi cinema.

The festival will open on October 4th with Pune 52, written and directed by Nikhil Mahajan based on the life of a private detective who undergoes a dramatic change when he takes up a case that is deeply personal and highly complex. A heartbreaking love story blended in an edge of the seat thriller.

Followed by Pune 52 on October 5th, is Tuhya Dharma Koncha, directed by Satish Manwar is ablack comedy about a faith and conditions of tribal family on the backdrop of religious conversions; Kavadu, his wife Bhulabai with two children are living in a village surrounded by the jungle, with which their lifestyle is associated. Kavadu gets accused in a tiger killing case and his family becomes helpless. Bhulabai gets converted into Christianity, but she is confused about her praying and prays to Jesus with her own ways. As real culprits in the tiger killing get arrested, Kavdu is released from custody. A group of Hindu extremists convert them to Hinduism, and gives them Hindu gods to pray. The family's faith towards nature remains constant during all these happenings.

On the same day, another film Popat, written and directed by Satish Rajwade will be screened.

This film is based in a village in Kolhapur and is a story of four friends Raghu, Bakul and Mukund all three in their early twenties and Janardan in his forties who come together and decide to make a film on HIV/AIDS. The only knowledge they have about films is that Raghu is a junior actor. With the help of little knowledge they get from the sources in a village also through government awareness programme and few documents. Mukund begins writing a story as he is the only literate out of the three. They bump into Janardan who has a video camera as he is a photographer by profession and also shoots local marriages. The journey begins and all of a sudden these friends find themselves in middle of a life threatening situation. A roller-coaster ride and a humorous take on HIV/AIDS, Popat shows how life is not full of laughter fun and free lunch.

The third day, October 6th, is a National award-winning film Anumati, written and directed by Gajendra Ahire which tells the story of a retired teacher Ratnakar's attempt to save his dying wife. Not ready to give up, Ratnakar is desperately trying to hold on to the world his wife Madhu has woven. In the face of adversities, Ratnakar's trauma of facing life without his life partner is unbearable. He is a symbol of undying will and positive spirit of fighting, till the end. He finds himself in a corner, helplessly trapped between emotions and practicality, being forced against his wishes, to give up on his long-lasting partnership- a dilemma that only fate can solve. Will he give that fatal 'Consent', Will he succumb to failure? A beautiful and heartrending journey of a lone man's struggle to save his world- his wife.

Also showing on October 6th is Touring Talkies, directed by Gajinder Ahire is a story of a lone woman Chandi's struggle to save her Chandi Touring Talkies from going out of business in the male chauvinistic world of travelling cinemas. Chandi's arch rival Subhnya tricks her wayward father to pledge her tent in a fixed gambling session and gives her six months to recover her tent. He also steals the screening rights to the latest blockbuster movie from right under her nose, leaving her stranded for options. As she mulls over her predicament enters Avinash an art film maker from a different world of cinema. As Subhnya denies him a screen to play the blockbuster, Chandi and Avinash end up helping each other out. Whether Chandi is able to save her tent or not forms the story.

On October 7th, is a brand-new romantic musical film, in its premiering week Lagna Pahave Karun,directed by Ajay Naik which deals with the topic of arrange marriages and the influence of astrology, horoscope and match making on it. Two young entrepreneurs Aditi and Nishant, who decide to start a marriage bureau with a unique way of match making based on emotional, physical, social, financial compatibility instead of the traditional Horoscope match making, feeling that today match making needs to be more practical than traditional. In their ordeal, they face a challenge from a renowned astrologer Nalu Mawshi Athawle who challenges this revolutionary match making process, saying that today's youth has lost its way and focus. The story deals with one such marriage that Aditi and Nishant arrange, based on their revolutionary process. Will the marriage succeed? Will Nalu Tai accept the new concept? Will the newlywed couple lead a happy life as a compatible husband-wife?

Nave Valan concludes on October 8th with 72 Miles - Ek Pravas, directed by Rajeev Patil based on the novel "72 Miles"by Late Ashok Vatkar. It is a story of a troubled 13-year-old boy, Ashok, runs away from his harsh boarding school in Maharashtra's Satara district, to his home and family in Kolhapur. Through his eyes we see the India just two decades past its freedom from British rule, rich in natural beauty, rustic vibrant colours but still struggling with the prevalent strict systems of class, illiteracy, gender biases and acute poverty. The film explores Ashok's coming-of-age road journey of 72 miles, Satara to Kolhapur. Robbed and ill-treated at the very start, the boy is befriended by the kindly, spit-fire woman, Raddhakka, also making her arduous journey home. She comes from the lowly backward class community of untouchables. Beset as she is by her three unruly older children and a dying baby in her arms, she still takes Ashok into her care. Ashok is awed and inspired by Raddhakka's indomitable and assertive attitude despite a life full of loss and deprivation. Her simplistic philosophy affects him deeply--Ashok sees how Raddhakka an illiterate woman with not a penny to her name maintains the most positive outlook towards life through the most difficult times, which he witnesses with her. Inspired from the novel with the same name, Raddhakka's illiterate simplistic philosophy beats the most learned philosophers and teaches Ashok a growing up lesson he can never forget.

To allow for larger access, these films will be screened with English subtitles. Each screening will be followed by Chauraha, where filmmakers, artistes and other key cast members interact with the audience.

The NCPA Chauraha session is a unique initiative to create an informal, interactive, arts forum,where artists from across creative borders, exchange their work with other artists and an intimategroup of viewers.

Be the first one to catch the best of Marathi cinema this October at Nave Valan only at the NCPA.

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