IFFLA 2008 : Day 1 – Boom Time

oz | Exclusive, Movies | April 23, 2008 at 3:23 am

The carpet was green instead of red. Cause it’s the Green Earth Day. I look around the Arclight courtyard, the Mecca of movie fanatics in LA, and the buzz has started. The tents are put up. Volunteers trickling in. The short and swift meeting wraps up all that needs to be done. The press has setup their cameras, the opening night tickets shows a Sold Out ticker, I check my laces to make sure I do not trip over someone and get caught in a picture perfect moment, brush my jacket using my palms and the flight takes off…

It’s 3 am. And when I rewind the last 10 hours, I found myself to be quiet except the occasional bursts of energy. Unlike the young and hot and raring to go PFC authors, I like to drink in the scene and enjoy it. Age is catching up.

It was a subtle moment to meet the genius Sriram Raghavan in the parking lot. Ditto Richie Mehta. Perhaps a 10 odd years ago I would have leaped and partied, now there were some cracker trying to be humorous short spurts of bumpy language and then quietness. Feeling and listening is what I love now.

Unfortunately for me, Sriram is ditto and so is Richie.

Shivajee Chandrabhushan is a U Turn for me. The image in my head for the guy who made a serious film like frozen was that of someone who’s all serious, talks little, saves his smiles like a savings account etc. etc. Wow! This guy can just slip in and talk and set the cracker jokes flying left and right. Quite contrary to the guy who makes fast, sharp, cutting edge thrillers whom one would visualize as the talkative one. That Sriram isn’t. And I love the contrasting personalities to the films these two make.

Manish Acharya, finally met the man who made Loins of Punjab Presents. Saw Sheetal Sheth flying by, while Koel Purie and Rupinder Nagra surrounded by one fan, filmmaker, press or whoever else was present.

Amazed by the down to earthiness of Bipin Nadkarni who’s “A home in the sky” features on Wednesday.

“I hope I have someone to come and watch my movie… else it’ll be just you and I’m not letting you go anywhere” – he quips. Of course I’ll be watching the gem of a movie Bipin. And there will be tons of others eager to watch your movie.

“The red wine is finito” – Shivajee tells me at the after event dinner party. I suggest a beer. No go. He quickly leaves after reading on my iPhone the “Shootout at Lokhandwala” review… “Yaar… I’m thinking if you will write like this for ‘Frozen’… darn…” Of course it is not gonna happen since Frozen is leagues ahead…

There are dancers at the Cabana dancing to Indian tunes. Rahul Bose walks in late. I hide. Shaurya review is still fresh on PFC and I have no intentions of meeting him, not that he reads PFC or it matters.

See the lead actors from ER or the actor who was Rocky Balboa’s opponent… the same guy who was in Predator. Other faces, I can’t recollect.

The party continues… I need to go home and post the excitement.

: 3 hours to go. Tents set up. Volunteers filing in

: The red carpet turns green on Green Earth day

: Was introduced to the little girl who’s grown up now… the girl who went “I love you Rasna”

: L – R: Manish Acharya (Loins of Punjab Presents), Shivajee Chandrabhushan (Frozen), Sriram Ragahavan (Johnny Gaddaar, Ek Hasina Thi) and Sanjay Routray (Producer of Johnny Gaddaar)… Shivajee turned out to be a wild one contrary to the “serious quiet guy” image I had… Sriram, the genius is the quiet one, followed by Sanjay