1. Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi's Master Class on Writing Blockbusters
Yes, we have watched with a fair amount of envy how Raju pulls off the most complex social issues on screen easily. Now, the country's most-adored filmmaker, along with writing partner Abhijat Joshi, will host a master-class on screenwriting at Bandra's Mehboob Studio during the fest. Now if you're an aspiring filmmaker/writer. you should be out there frantically taking pointers on your notepad.
2. Restored Classics of Chetan Anand and Guru Dutt
Recognising the fact that there are hardly any venues left in the city to catch classics in their restored glory, MAMI will be screening the restored versions of two of Hindi cinema's most influential filmmakers: Chetan Anand and master of melancholy, Guru Dutt. Anand's Neecha Nagar, an unflinching portrait of social exploitation, won the Grand Prix prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946 while Dutt's Pyaasa, Sahib, Bibi Aur Ghulam and Kaagaz Ke Phool are still revered for their visual poetry and haunting story-telling.
3. The Experimental section
One of the key things that make a film festival is how far it goes in pushing boundaries by exposing viewers to films that break convention and set new norms. This category does just that, and world cinema fans willing to submit themselves in the avant-garde realm will be in for a lot of eccentricity and irreverence even by film-festival standards!
4. Rishi Kapoor Unplugged!
His social media success now withstanding, Hindi cinema's eternal lover boy will be delivering a talk on acting and speak at length about his illustrious career at Mehboob Studios. Be prepared for a lot of one-liners and witty repartee as RK adds a dose of much needed masala and Bollywood flavour to MAMI!
5. One for the young guns
On the lines of Berlinale's Generation KPlus section which is aimed at young adults, the brand new category will screen films targeted primarily to the young bunch of film enthusiasts. Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak that won big at the Berlinale film festival earlier this year will open the segment which will also screen films like Lamb, Paper Plane and About a Mother. And, Imtiaz Ali, Zoya Akhtar and Avinash Arun (of Killa fame) will host a workshop where they'll talk to youngsters about the filmmaking process.
Image Source: bolegaindia & starfriday