The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) recently announced the Opening and Closing red carpet galas for 2015 Edition of the festival. Opening the festival on April 8 is the world premiere of HARAAMKHOR, written and directed by Shlok Sharma and starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Nagesh Kukunoor’s award-winning DHANAK (RAINBOW) will close the festival with its US premiere. Sharma and Kukunoor will be in attendance along with the star and producer of HARAAMKHOR – Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Guneet Monga.
The Gala at IFFLA 2014
Tickets to the galas are now available on www.indianfilmfestival.org. The full line-up will be announced on March 10. The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema. Celebrating its 13th year, IFFLA will run April 8-12 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception.
Shlok Sharma’s riveting feature debut, HARAAMKHOR, is produced by India’s most prominent producers, Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly, Bombay Velvet) and Guneet Monga (The Lunchbox, Gangs of Wasseypur). Monga was honored at IFFLA in 2013 with the Industry Leadership Award. Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Miss Lovely) in a masterful performance as a teacher having an illicit affair with one of his students, HARAAMKHOR, explores innocent young love that is put on a collision course with the messy reality of budding adulthood.
“We’re thrilled to kick off our 13th edition with the world premiere of HARAAMKHOR. Shlok’s film resonates to something we all can understand- the beautiful complications of youth. It invigorates us to have a filmmaker return to IFFLA, and especially so when their first feature is as powerful as this,†said IFFLA’s Artistic Director, Jasmine Jaisinghani.
Fresh from his award-winning premiere at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival, Nagesh Kukunoor arrives at IFFLA with DHANAK. The gorgeous tale of a brother and sister who embark on a journey across Rajasthan in an attempt to meet the great Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, DHANAK is filled with color, magic and music in a celebration of childhood and family.
“I have been a longtime fan of Nagesh’s work and look forward to welcoming him back to IFFLA,†said festival Founder/Chair Christina Marouda. “DHANAK is a stunning film – infectious in its joyous spirit and appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us. We can’t wait to share it with the IFFLA audiences, who I know will be just as charmed as we were.â€
For both filmmakers, their screenings at IFFLA will be a homecoming. Shlok has had two short films in the festival, one of which – TUBELIGHT’S MOON (KA CHAND) – won the Audience Award in 2011. Nagesh Kukunoor’s 3 DEEWAREIN (3 WALLS) played at the inaugural year of the festival in 2003.
Nirvana-Bombay Palace will host the Opening and Closing Night Gala receptions in Beverly Hills.