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I didn’t even know that there was a film festival coming up in my sleepy little hollow till I read a news article in the Deccan Chronicle Supplement on the 5th about the poor response to the festival. It quoted the promoters lamenting about the lack of funds to promote the event and also the fact that Tollywood biggies were not interested in the event though they make themselves present in such do’s in Mumbai and Goa. I googled for the same and first few results were of the first edition of the festival held last year. When I finally did track down the website www.hiff.co.in , I didn’t get what I wanted – a schedule and timing of the movies to be screened.

So the next day, when it looked like India would safely draw the Sydney test, I along with wifey decided to visit the Prasad’s multiplex where some of the movies were being screened. But just as we were leaving, Dravid got out to a howler of a decision. Still, Dada was around and we should be OK, or so I thought.

Frankly, I have not been to many such film festivals. The only other one I have been to was an International Film Festival in Trivandrum a few years back. I saw a few movies then, of which Maqbool and Osama, I remember distinctly. As I hunted around for a way to get in, I was finally told to pay up 500 for a pass each and fill out a form and give two photographs. You know they should have day passes, I told wifey. We anyway couldn’t watch all the movies. Somebody asked me if I was from the film industry. I said no. I was then asked if I was a delegate. I said no again. I am just here to watch some movies, I said.

SMS CKT to 56789 told me that 6 wkts were down.

Thankfully the movie was not disappointing. ‘Last Stop for Paul’ was about two friends vacationing around the world for two weeks, from Jamaica to Chile to Greece, Tokyo, Vietnam and Thailand. At each stop they scatter the ashes of their friend Paul. They go through uproarious adventures- getting mugged in Jamaica, almost driving off a cliff in Chile, getting stuck without money in a lady bar in Vietnam and a near death experience in Thailand- and meet some very interesting people. The movie is hilarious and the documentary style filming makes it look very real and hooks you in. In fact none of the people in the movie are actors and you tend to connect with them.

I gulped down a Dosa and Pepsi for lunch with the knowledge that we had lost by 122 runs with an over to spare. Can you believe it, I asked wifey. She ordered Chinese.

The next movie we saw was a Turkish movie called ‘Heartbreak’ about an elderly primary school teacher who retires from his village school and arrives in the city of Istanbul. He starts driving a Taxi at night to supplement his income and his life gets very interesting when he gets mixed up trying to help a female club singer. Though it starts slowly -which resulted in half the hall emptying itself after half an hour- there are enough twists and turns in it to compete with any Bollywood potboiler. Performances were excellent and I would have been happier if the movie had ended 20 minutes earlier and had avoided the dramatic end. Well, anyway.

All in all, a very good day was had and if any of you readers happen to be in Hyderabad, you can still check the festival out. I believe it’s on till Friday.

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