22nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) - focus country China

The 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) has the focus country as China and celebrities of the sliver screen came in large number to attend the inauguration ceremony held at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Among the celebrities of Bollywood were Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Kajol, Parineeti Chopra and there were international dignitaries from the focus country China.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 12 November 2016.

The grand event saw a huge turnout of 20,000 people, including big names of Tollywood apart from a couple of star tele-kids - they had truly lived up to chief minister Mamata Banerjee's vision of "cinema for all". Her paintings were also gifted to the dignitaries.
A Bengali film "Benche Thaakar Gaan" was chosen to inaugurate KIFF.
In addition, a book titled "Baritone" containing Big B's KIFF speeches was also released on the occasion.


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Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) begins 11 November

Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) begins 11 November

The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) will be the carnival of cinema and it will begin on November 11 this year. A total of 155 films from 65 countries will be shown across 105 screens at 13 venues in the city. As a new initiative, there will be 18 shows of nine films that will be screened as part of the 'Parae Parae Cinema' and, in addition, an exhibition on Uttam Kumar is also on the cards.
Incidentally, this will be the first time that KIFF will be showcasing a Bengali film at the inauguration, in the presence of the Bachchans, Kajol and Sanjay Dutt.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 November 2016.

China has been selected as the focal country and this has drawn attention. There will be seven films from China. Films like 'American Dreams in China', `Black Coal, Thin Ice' and `Wolf Totem' are a part of the festival.
The festival has also selected Marathi cinema for regional focus and will screen five films. These will include `Kasaav' and `Court'.


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Sanjay Dutt to play the role of a military officer in Torbaaz

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will be playing the role of an army officer in director Girish Malik’s next, titled Torbaaz. In the film the actor plays an army officer who wants to give the ‘children of war’ a ray of hope.
The story of “Torbaaz” is based in Afghanistan and is about child suicide bombers of Afghanistan, who have been trained to believe that killing is a virtue and glory is in an afterlife.
The film is produced by Raju Chadha and Rahul Mittra.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 17 September 2016.

Sanjay Dutt has said that he is keen to be a part of films that are highly content driven and wants to create a memorable slate of films for my fans. Girish Malik, the director of the film, is impressed with the actor ans has said that he had got into the world of ‘Torbaaz’ quite easily. He was the first choice for the role.
Torbaaz is likely to go on floors by 2017.


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Bollywood actor 56-year old Sanjay Dutt has returned back to Mumbai after his release from Yerawada prison after serving 42 months for possessing an AK-56 supplied by gangsters behind a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai in 1993. He kissed the ground as he walked free from the jail in Pune, after authorities decided to release him ahead of schedule for good behavior.
This has been reported in hindustantimes.com dated 25 February 2016.

Once out of prison, he boarded a chartered flight to Mumbai with wife Manyata and children Iqra and Shahran and was given a rousing welcome by his fans at the airport. From there he went on to pay obeisance at Siddhivinayak temple and, later, accompanied by his family, he went to visit his mother and late Bollywood actor Nargis Dutt’s grave to offer his prayers.
It may be recalled that he was first arrested on April 19, 1993, for possession and destruction of an AK-56 rifle, which was a part of cache of arms and explosives which landed in India prior to the serial blasts of March 1993. He spent 18 months in jail in 1993. On July 31, 2007, the TADA court in Mumbai sentenced him to six years’ rigorous imprisonment under the Arms Act and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000. In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling but reduced the sentence to five years.


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