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Benedict Cumberbatch comes to Mumbai

…via a live screening of his new play, ‘Hamlet’ at the Godrej Dance Theatre, the NCPA, this evening and tomorrow.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The man who took the world by storm by playing the titular role in the BBC One series Sherlock is in Mumbai. Well, not really. For those who are suffering from Benedict Cumberbatch withdrawal symptoms (S04 of Sherlock screens not before next year), the NCPA has a bit of a repreive.

Cumberbatch can be seen at the NCPA this evening and tomorrow as he portrays Hamlet in the Barbican production of William Shakespeare’s most popular play, ‘Hamlet‘. The play will be screened for audiences at the venue. For the uninitiated, the story of Hamlet goes thus: ‘As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralysed by the task ahead, Prince Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the State.’

 

The British actor has won rave reviews for his portrayal of the Prince of Darkness, in a return to theatre alongside a trailblazing career in film and television. The play has now stopped production in the UK while the lead actor returns to his film duties in Hollywood, but it is being screened all over the world in association with the National Theatre Live.

Head to the Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA today, Friday, November 11, 2015 and tomorrow Saturday, November 12, at 7 pm. Tickets cost Rs 500.

(Picture courtesy www.telegraph.co.uk)

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Watch: German film ‘Hotel Lux’

Hotel Lux
The 2011 film set in Nazi Germany talks about fleeing an autocratic rule into what could be more dangerous territory.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Hotel Lux is a 2011 German period film directed by Leander Haußmann. The tragicomedy begins in Nazi Germany and moves to the Soviet Union. Featuring the main character Hans Zeisig, an apolitical comedian, the picture involves him with numerous historical facts and figures of this era.

The story of the film goes thus: Hans Zeisig and Siggi Meyer are a comedy act. At the Varieté Valetti, they do a brilliant parody of Hitler and Stalin – unperturbed by initial threats and intimidations. But that will not go on for much longer. Meyer goes into hiding in the Resistance, gets caught and is taken to a concentration camp. Zeisig is forced to flee with a false passport and ends up in Moscow, in the notorious immigrants’ hotel Lux. The Soviet secret services mistake him for Hitler’s renegade astrologer; Zeisig interprets the stars for Stalin and gets caught up in the power struggle between Stalin’s schemers. Zeisig loves Frida, an underground resistance fighter from Holland, who protects him until she lands herself in trouble.

 

Head to Gallerie Max Mueller, Kala Ghoda. Film begins at 6.30 pm. Entry is free.

(Picture courtesy www.ruhrnachrichten.de)

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NGO children perform for live audiences

NCPA’s outreach initiative for NGO-supported children in Mumbai will feature various kids’ stage performances in front of a live audience.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It is always a joy to see young children performing songs, dances and other acts. Today, you will get the chance to see a lot of great shows put up by children, at the NCPA.

This multi-genre,  multilingual event will feature performances by young children from different NGOs based in Mumbai. As a part of the NCPA’s outreach initiatives, these talented performers will get the opportunity to perform on a professional stage in front of a live audience. The event includes a range of wide performances from group singing, a puppet show featuring the Panchatantra tales, a Judo pyramid and dance performances in the styles of Bollywood, folk music, Odissi and Gotipua depicting the Dashavataar from Geet Govinda.

Talent from NGOs such as the Bal Jeevan Trust, Apun Ka Club, Mumbai Mobile Creches, E.A.R., Aseema and Seva Sadan and others will be showcased as a part of this show.

Admission for all on a first-come-first-served basis. Head to the Experimental Theatre, NCPA, at 3 pm.

(Picture courtesy ncpamumbai.com. Image is a file picture)

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Dhruv and Ila go goth for ‘Dhima’

Mumbai musician, lyricist and guitarist Dhruv Ghanekar and folk singer Ila Arun star in ‘Dhima’, a goth-inspired video for ‘Voyage’.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Mumbai musician Dhruv Ghanekar, after performing music across all genres and media, is now back with a new album, ‘Voyage’. The single Dhima in this album is composed and performed by Dhruv Ghanekar and noted folk artiste Ila Arun. Dhruv is confident that the innovative video will make audiences sit up and take notice.

“The video for Dhima can be described as a hybrid of gothic rock, North African rhythms, and new wave,” Dhruv explains. “The song is inspired by the desert of Rajasthan and North Africa. I have been listening to music from West and North Africa and found that there are so many intrinsic synergies in both the musical cultures. The marriage of these two sounds was screaming to be fused!” He adds that Ila Arun was a logical fit to sing the song as she is “the queen of folk music in India.” Karim Ziad, who hails from Algeria but is a Parisian, performs on the drums while Linley Marthe performs bass. “This sort of video has not been done in the country. Director Razy Ghai has given it a Steam Punk Gothic vibe and created a visually stunning interpretation that challenges the viewer both sonically and visually,” Dhruv explains.

He claims that the gothic grunge themed video features an eclectic blend of “the fantastic, the ghoulish, the bizarre and the forbidden”. The crew was excited about Ila doing the video – she excelled, decked out in a dark gothic attire with her signature husky voice bringing a distinct sound to the single. The sexy, extravagant video explores the dark side of human nature with visions of anarchy, monsters, love and death set in a Burlesque Goth setting. She says, “When I was asked to collaborate on an ethnic folk song on Dhruv Ghanekar’s international world music album with such a star-studded array of musicians from all over the world, I was thrilled and nervous. However, the experience of recording the song turned out to be fantastic and totally invigorating.”

Watch the promo of the video:

 

For the uninitiated, Dhruv Ghanekar is a composer, producer and highly respected guitar player based in Mumbai. He has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in music in India and in the international arena. He has collaborated and performed with Vieux Farka Toure, Richard Bona, Trilok Gurtu, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Bernard Purdee, AR Rahman, Raul Midon, Bob Belden, Scott Kinsey, Etienne M’Bappe, Dominic Dipiazza, Louis Banks and Ranjit Barot, to name a few. He has also performed at many leading festivals around the world as a leader of his band ‘Dhruv’, and composed music for over 3,500 commercials, many of which have won awards in India and abroad.

Dhruv has also scored music for many chart-busting film hits and several television programmes, including the prestigious BBC 1 – UK, Star TV, PIX, SONY and many more.

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Film screening: ‘My name is Salt’

Watch the critically acclaimed and multiple award winning documentary ‘My name is Salt’ this evening; being screened at the NCPA.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

A powerful story well told, has an impact like no other.

This evening, the critically-acclaimed and much-feted documentary film, My Name Is Salt, will be screened at the NCPA in collaboration with the Indian Documentary Producers’ Assocation (IDPA). The film is a sensitive, searing look at the many families who come to Kutch to extract salt, for a long eight months with the harsh sun beating down on them.

Describes a blurb on the film’s website, ‘The desert extends endlessly – flat, grey, relentless. There is not a tree or blade of grass or rock. But there is one thing in abundance: salt. Salt is everywhere, lying just beneath the cracked, baked surface of the earth. This is the Little Rann of Kutch, 5000 sq kms of saline desert. And for eight months of the year, the salt people live here – laboriously extracting salt from this desolate landscape. They have been doing this for generations.

Year after year, they migrate from their villages, 40,000 of them, to live on this bleak land without water, electricity or provisions. Arriving just after the monsoon, Sanabhai and his family will live here from September until April. Their nearest neighbour is a kilometre away. They communicate by flashing mirrors in the sunlight. Sanabhai’s wife Devuben walks across the bare, trackless desert to chop firewood. They buy the family’s water supply from a private tanker that comes once a week…’

Watch the trailer of the film here:

 

The film is the journey of Chhanabhai and his family who live without water, electricity or provisions for eight months of the year – tirelessly extracting salt from this desolate landscape. Under the blinding glare of the sun, they work on the salt fields until large crystals have formed. Their labour is rhythmic, a dance that mirrors the dance of the mirages on the burning horizon.

Written and directed by Farida Pacha, the film has won several awards at international film festivals.

Admission is on a first-come-first-served basis. NCPA members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm. The film begins at 6.30 pm and is 92 minutes long.

(Picture courtesy mynameissalt.com)

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Watch: Documentary films at Max Mueller Bhavan

Starting today, there will be screenings of films every evening till March 5, 2015. Do not miss these important films.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai, continues with its good work of bringing quality and relevant cinema to Mumbaikars. This week, the Max Mueller Bhavan is screening some very important documentary films starting today, March 3 to March 5, 2015.

The screenings this evening will be followed by a discussion with the directors of the evening’s films. The screenings are being held in collaboration with DocEdge Kolkata, Asian Forum for Documentary, Kolkata.

The schedule for the event is as follows:

ABU HARAZ | Dir.: Maciej J. Drygas | 73 min, 2013
A film about a Sudanese village on the River Nile, where a large dam will be built and village will disappear under water.

ROOMS OF SHADOW AND LIGHT | Dir.: John Webster | 57 min, 1999
The story of an organisation that helps women in the red light district in Mumbai.

March 4, 2015 | 6.30 pm

SOUND OF TORTURE | Director: Keren Shayo | 58 minutes, 2013
An award winning film on live calls from a radio broadcast to the torture camps in Egyptian Sinai desert, where hundreds of Eritrean refugees are held hostage.

TWO MOTHERS (Meine Mütter – Spurensuche in Riga) | Director: Rosa von Praunheim, colour and b/w | 87 min., 2006
The German gay film icon Rosa von Praunheim (Holger Mischwitzky) goes in search of his ‘real’ unknown parents, which leads to a moving view of German history.

March 5, 2015 | 6.30 pm

MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE | Director: Marc Bauder, colour | 88 min., 2013
Rainer Voss used to be one of Germany’s leading investment bankers. The film paints an alarming picture of a megalomaniacal, quasi-religious parallel universe, hidden behind mirrored facades.

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