Here are quick reviews of a few movies, I saw at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM 2024). In fact, they all deserve separate detailed reviews, but the enormous number of movies has compelled me to take this rather tricky route and call it ‘Quick Reviews’. The IFFM 2024 is in its 15th year and this year the movies content is exceptionally relevant and socially good. These ‘Quick Reviews’ give a peep into the type of alternative content being dished out by the world’d biggest film industry and others, amid the tsunami of commercially violent and often technology driven cinema. The story-telling in these compelling cinematic expressions speak for themselves.
-Neeraj Nanda, South Asia Times (SAT)
Back Then – The Story of Live Music in Bombay
MELBOURNE, 21 August 2024: This beautiful 58 minutes documentary by Anindita Dutta Roy and Abhishek Chandaran, is a time capsule of 30 years underground alternative music (1990s t0 2023) which chronicles Bombay’s (Mumbai’s) gigs in those years. The fact it happened in the shadows of the Mumbai film industry, is what the whole story is. The pandemic triggered this documentary which has rare archival footage. “During lockdown, I realised the bunch of stories with me and did what I always wanted to do. It just happened, says Anindita Dutta Roy.
It is a historical collection of the counter-culture music revolution that shook Mumbai. Back Then… premiered recently in Amsterdam’s IN-EDIT, a music documentary festival and had its Australian premier today (21 August, 2021) at the IFFM 2024, Hoyts, Melbourne Central.
This focussed documentary is the result of hard work and dedication. Assembling many types of footage from all sorts of cameras and people is no easy task. The bytes laced with rare footage make a compelling music documentary. This rather rare outcome will be a source of knowledge on Mumbai’s underground gig events in the coming years. This is history. The documentary proves music is a great uniter and diversity as much a part of music as that of society. Well done, Anindita Dutta Roy and Abhishek Chandaran.
Name- Back Then – The Story of Live Music in Bombay.
Duration- 58 minutes.
Directors : Anindita Dutta Roy & Abhishek Chandran.
Year – 2024.
Country- India.
Unconditional
MELBOURNE, 21 August 2024: Carers are people who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who are frail aged. Many of us have been carers during unforeseen situations. Some carers go on for years. ‘There are 3 million carers in Australia’, reveals Carer’s Australia. ‘Unconditional’ stitches together stories of four diverse carers in Australia, highlighting their emotional journeys from the day of diagnosis to carer burnout. The narratives are honest and candid. Often, as the bytes reveal, every carer has a story to tell.
Director Dalanglin Dkhar, herself a carer, has made ‘Unconditional’ as a tribute to those who toil with realities of life. One has to hear the carers as they describe their situations. A family young man caring for his mother is emotional and a message for others. At times, as the interviews reveal, things are not easy. But, in Australia, we have the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), it is revealed, plays a massively decisive role in the lives of carers and those who are cared.
The Victorian premiere of ‘Unconditional’ today at the
This documentary is simple and touching. Australia is the only country in the world to have the NDIS, no doubt, a feat in itself. As fair go for all Australians. This documentary should be widely screened for the message.
Name- Unconditional
Duration- 5o minutes.
Director – Dalanglin Dkhar.
Year – 2024.
Country- Australia.
Umesh Chronicles
This 130 minutes ‘Umesh Chronicles’, directed by Pooja Kaul, is not for the routine movie buffs. In her movie statement Pooja said, “I made The Umesh Chronicles to tell the story of a woman, a country and the current zeitgeist. I wanted to make a film which functions as a map of the past and a blueprint for the future.” So, what is it?
Radha, meets Sunder (servant boy) after many years and tries to connect with him. The past and the current collide. She tries to come to terms with thoughts that he was now more free than her. Beautifully shot n Lucknow, Kashmir, Delhi…, has along with others Amitabh Bachchan and Irfan Khan’s son, Babil I. Khan. The movie is an effort of filmmaker Soojit Sarkar ,Ronnie Lahirim, and an international film company.
One has to see it and then consider what message it conveys. My feeling is ‘Umesh Chronicles’ is a slice of life on screen. It is like abstract art. The slow pace of the movie looks intentional, but the duration is too long. It’s screening at the IFFM 2024 drew attention.
Cast: Aiza Khan, Kriti Pant, Zayn Marie Khan, Vivek Gomber, Leela Samson, Bobby Pal, Adil Husain, Babil Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.
Director: Pooja Kaul.
Duration – 140 minutes.
Languages – English, Hindi, Kashmiri.
Year- 2024.
