News India Times
October 9, 2015
24
Arts & Entertainment
– that’s all you need to know
By a StaffWriter
ollywood star Priyanka
Chopra makes her
American television
debut in the role of
Alex Parrish on ABC’s
highly anticipated drama
“Quantico” which began airing
Sept. 27. The actress, recording
artist and former MissWorld,
plays Alex Parrish, part of a
diverse group of recruits.
They are the best, the bright-
est and the most vetted, so it
seems impossible that one of
them is suspected of master-
minding the biggest attack on
NewYork City since 9/11.
Flashing back and forth
between the future-the after-
math of a terrorist attack on
Grand Central Station-and the
present-a 20-week training
course at the FBI Academy in
Quantico, VA-we follow the lives
of seven FBI recruits.
Pushed to the brink as the
class is gradually whittled
down, until only the finest can-
didates remain, Parrish is haunt-
ed by questions about her late
father and his mysterious career
as an undercover agent. She is
seeking answers.
Her fellow trainees include
Ryan Booth (ex-military),
ShelbyWyatt (an orphaned
Southern belle), Eric Packer (a
Mormon with a troubled past),
Simon Asher (the first openly
gay FBI recruit), Nimah Amin
(an observant Muslim with a
double life), and Caleb Haas (for
whom the FBI is a family busi-
ness).
Their mentors at the
Academy-Miranda Shaw and
Liam O’Connor-have boundless
experience but a complicated
history with the Bureau and
each other. When Parrish learns
that she’s been framed for the
terrorist event, she has to run
for her life while trying to figure
out which of her former class-
mates is the real terrorist before
they strike again.
“Quantico” stars Chopra as
Parrish, Josh Hopkins as Liam
O’Connor, Jake Mclaughlin as
Ryan Booth, Aunjanue Ellis as
Miranda Shaw, Johanna Braddy
as ShelbyWyatt, Tate Ellington
as Simon Asher, Graham
Rogers as Caleb Haas and
Yasmine AI Massri as Nimah
Amin. Written by Joshua Safran,
the series’ executive producers
are Joshua Safran, Mark Gordon,
Nicholas Pepper, Jake Coburn
and Robert Sertner. “Quantico”
is produced by ABC Studios.
B
Priyanka Chopra Debuts On
American Television
‘Kadambari’ Bags Best Film Award At
Washington South Asian Film Festival
By Arun Kumar
–WASHINGTON
K
adambari”, a Bengali
film centered around
Kadambari Devi, sister-
in-law of Rabindranath Tagore
with whom he is supposed to
have had a close personal rela-
tionship and who eventually
committed suicide, won the
Best Film award at the 4th
Washington, D.C., South Asian
Film Festival.
The film was directed by the
National Award-winning film-
maker Suman Ghosh.
Chaitanya Tamhane won
the Best Director award for
‘Court’, a Hindi and Marathi
film, which is India’s official
entry to the upcoming
Academy Awards.
Some of the biggest and
most famous names in South
Asian Independent Cinema
lent glitter to the Sept. 25-27
festival of alternative cinema
screening 14 features, ten
short films and one documen-
tary from India, Pakistan, the
United States and Canada.
Award winners: Best Film –
Kadambari, Best Story – Rough
Book, Best Director –
Chaitanya Tamhane (Court),
Best Actor – Kishor Kadam
(Partu), Best Actress – Konkona
Sen Sharma (Kadambari), and
Best Short Film - Bonjour ji.
The audience rated “Partu”
as the Best Film and “Billu’s
Flight” as the Best Short Film.
Aparna Sen received the
Special Achievement Award,
while Huma Beg from Pakistan
(Veils andWalls) got the
Special Appreciation Award
Documentary. Sarmad
Khoosat received the Special
Award for Contribution to
Pakistan TV and Films.
A number of directors,
including Sen and Ghosh,
attended the festival. Another
notable presence was popular
Bollywood and Bengali actress
Riya Sen.
Indian-American entrepre-
neur and philanthropist Frank
Islam inaugurated the festival
saying this year’s theme, “Art
and culture transcend bound-
aries” reflects a reality.
“This is so even though we
live in a deeply divided world.
These are unsettling times-
wars, refugees, terrorism, hate
crimes of all types, and bound-
ary disputes. Events such as
these dominate the headlines
daily,” he said.
“Yet, art and culture elevate
and unite all of us. Whether it
is a young boy in Afghanistan,
or an old woman in
Zimbabwe, there is not a soul
that doesn’t enjoy a good
movie, or a lovely piece of
music.
“The fact that we have with
us today some of the finest
collection of talents from India
and Pakistan under one roof is
proof that art and culture
indeed transcend all the
boundaries.”
Marketing is a big challenge
for indie films as well, he said
facing what he called the
“curse of Bollywood” – extrava-
gant, studio-backed and star-
studded films from Bollywood.
In order to succeed, indie
films from India, in their quiet
way, must overcome this
stereotype and sea of noise,
Islam said. “This year there
was more awareness about the
film festival here in the U.S.
and in South Asian countries,”
said DCSAFF Executive
Director Manoj Singh, noting
more non-South Asians came
to see the movies.
“Saari Raat”, Sen’s film
adaptation of Bengali play-
wright Badal Sircar’s drama,
was the opening film.
There were three films from
South Asian Americans:
“Partu”, a film by Nitin Adsul;
“Miss India America” by Ravi
Kapoor; and “For Here or To
Go” by Rucha Humnabadkar.
The festival also featured
two Pakistani films, “Manto”
and “Shah” based on the lives
of short-story writer Sadat
Hassan Manto and Pakistani
boxer Hussain Shah, who won
the bronze medal at 1988
Summer Olympics.
Islam and his wife Debbie
Driesman also hosted a dinner
for the visiting artists at their
home Norton Manor.
Promoting art and culture is
one of the missions of the
Frank Islam and Debbie
Driesman Foundation.
--
Don’t Let Hard Times Affect
My Film: Salman
– MUMBAI
B
ollywood superstar
Salman Khan, who will be
seen in his most adored
character “Prem” in Sooraj
Barjatiya’s “Prem Ratan Dhan
Payo” insists that the hitches
that he is still going through in
his life does not impact his
films.
“I have been always going
through hard times in my life,
but that doesn’t affect my work,”
he said at the trailer launch of
the film.
As a reporter mentioned the
difficult times Salman was going
through at the time of shoot, he
promptly replied: “Whenever I
go through a difficult time in my
life, my work in films becomes
that much better. So remember
that, and please don’t let those
difficult times hamper the
release of my film, because we
have worked a lot for this film in
that difficult time..”
Despite a court sentencing
him to five years jail in a rash
driving case, Salman’s “Bajrangi
Bhaijaan” became one of the
record-breaking films at box
office. His conviction was later
suspended and he was granted
bail. “I am still going through it
and keep on going through it.
That’s my share of karma,” he
spoke out.
“PRDP”, which also features
Sonam Kapoor, Anupam Kher,
Swara Bhaskar and Neil Nitin
Mukesh, will hit big screens on
November 12, a day after Diwali.
– IANS
