UNITED KINGDOM: A Bollywood film with a difference, issue based 'Chakravyah' has it's world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival

Record ID: 220921

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: A Bollywood film with a difference, issue based 'Chakravyah' has it's world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival
  • Date: 13th October 2012
  • Summary: WARNING: CONTAINS OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 11, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF EMPIRE CINEMA LEICESTER SQUARE AND WAITING FANS VARIOUS OF ACTOR ABHAY DEOL, TALKING TO PRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABHAY DEOL, ACTOR, SAYING: "It still is, I mean like, the way I define Bollywood is I think it's a genre that basically when you say
  • Embargoed: 28th October 2012 12:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA2BI5M3TGTAIJM9UY3XTMP1O82
  • Story Text: The BFI London Film Festival hosted its first ever world premiere of an Indian movie on Thursday (October 11) night.
    Political thriller 'Chakravyuh' - meaning labyrinth - had its screening in the capital's famous Leicester Square.
    Directed by Prakash Jha, the Bollywood movie bucks the trend for films of that genre.
    "When you say the word 'Bollywood' you imagine song, imagine dance, melodrama, bright colours, I think in this one you might not find the bright colours as much." Lead actor Abhay Deol told Reuters at the red carpet event.
    "I don't know if you can call it melodramatic - but barring that, the songs are there. But it's also an issue-based film, it's topical, you know so, which Bollywood films don't necessarily tend to be." He added.
    Seen from all angles through the eyes of six characters, 'Chakvaryuh' is a social commentary of the issues around India's Naxalite (Maoist) community.
    The Naxalite or Maoist movement has it's roots in the 1960s when ideologists of the Marxist-Leninist movement in India unified to try and create a mass upsurge all over the country that would create a 'liberated zone'.
    Initially quashed by police, over the years the movement has re-grouped, and today continues to gain support.
    On the one side the rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the rural poor, however in the words of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh they are India's 'greatest internal security challenge'.
    Despite the differeing view points Deol said his film has not met with any resistance from the Indian authorities: "I don't think the government has actually picked up any issue with it. There was a song that was, that racked up a controversy but that's because the song and the lyrics sort of names some big corporates and basically calls them crooks, you know. Which is fair enough, I can imagine why that pissed them off. But the government hasn't picked up an issue with it, no."
    At the heart of the story is the relationship between two best friends, Kabir playled by Deol and police officer Adil taken on by Arjun Rampal.
    Rampal revealed that 'Chakravyuh' has an important message, as well as being entertaining.
    "It's really penetrated a lot into India and I think it cannot be ignored any more, and if we get an opportunity like this to come and educate our audiences about what's also happening while entertaining them, you can't ask for something better," he said.
    Sentiments echoed by the film's director: "They have a real cause, and the government is worried about it. It's a very serious issue because it's spreading on, it's consumed almost like 200 districts of the country and there are hundreds of thousands of people involved in it at this point of time and there's blood shed happening every day so it's important."
    When asked what he would like the reaction to his film to be, Jha had no hesitation: "Immediate and urgent understanding and talking and efforts to solve the problem."
    'Chakvavyuh' is due to open in UK and Indian cinemas on October 24, 2012.
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