Tabu roped in for film fest closing ceremony

KOLKATA: Responding to an invitation from chief minister Mamata Banerjee, critically acclaimed actor Tabu has agreed to grace the closing ceremony of the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
Not only will the Padma Shri winner attend the closing ceremony, Tabu will also give away the Royal Bengal Trophy to the winner of the international competition.This competition focuses on films helmed by women directors. While the best film will get a cash prize of Rs 51 lakh (the largest cash award at any international film festival), the best director will be awarded Rs 21 lakh.
For the two-time National Award-winning actor who has almost become a metaphor for empowered women on screen, her association with a competition that celebrates works by women directors holds a special significance. Speaking to TOI about her presence at KIFF, Tabu said, “I am happy to be coming to Kolkata to present such an award. Mamata Banerjee is an admirable figure. Apart from being a strong politician, she is a strong individual. When I received an invitation from her to attend this festival, I agreed to come over.”
On November 14 (the day KIFF opens), Tabu will be the guest of honour for the Children’s Film Festival in Hyderabad. “That’s a city I connect with. Kolkata is an old connection too. I shot for Mira Nair’s film in this city. I was also there for Goutam Ghose’s ‘Abar Aranya’. This is the first time I will be coming for KIFF,” she said. The actor will be here on November 21.
Having worked with both male and female directors, has she ever noticed gender playing any difference in the pattern of work? “Of course, there is a difference because biologically they are wired differently. I might be more comfortable discussing certain issues with a female director. But, it is difficult to make a blanket statement to generalize on this issue,” she said.
Explaining further, she said, “When we watch Farah Khan’s movies, there is no way we can say it is directed by a woman. While shooting for ‘The Namesake’, I remember a scene where my character gets to know about Irrfan’s death. I have to take off my shakha-pola and wipe off the sindoor. While looking at that shot on the monitor, Mira and producer Lydia Dean Pilcher were sobbing. I could understand that the reaction came from their feminine instincts,” Tabu said.
But that’s not to say that her male directors were less sensitive. “I used to ask Mahesh Manjrekar how he understood so many layers of a woman’s life so well when he directed ‘Astitva’. It’s similar with Vishal, Madhur and even Gulzar saab,” she added.
A competition of films directed by women interests Tabu. “It is fantastic to see so many women working in every department of film-making. We now have producers, studio executives, set designers, music composers as women. I am glad KIFF is hosting a competition that acknowledges the work of women,” she said.
Among the international films competing for the award are ‘Our Loved Ones’, ‘The Passion of Augustine’, ‘Ella’, ‘A Mother’, ‘The Wednesday Child’, ‘An Italian Name’, ‘Zurich’, ‘Arventur’, ‘Madonna’, ‘Happy 140’, ‘Dora or the Sexual Neuroses of our Parents’, ‘As I Open My Eyes’, ‘Until I Lose my Breath’ and ‘I Am Nojoom Age 10 and Divorced’. A jury board that’s chaired by actor Sharmila Tagore and comprising Chinese-American actor Bai Ling, Polish director Filip Marczewski, Israeli film director Samuel Maoz and Sri Lankan actor Swarna Mallawarachchi will judge these movies.