IFFLA to pay tribute to Naseeruddin, host 'Parzania' premiere

New Delhi, Mar 28: Veteran Bollywood actor and one of the pioneers of the parallel cinema movement in the 1970s, Naseeruddin Shah will be honoured by the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), to be held from April 19.

IFFLA will present this year's honorary tribute to Naseeruddin Shah by showcasing some his best cinematic works over the last three decades.

As part of its celebration of the works of Naseeruddin Shah, who has starred in over 120 films over the years, the IFFLA will host the Los Angeles premiere of his latest film 'Parzania', a film which features him alongside actors Sarika and Perizaad Zorabian.

As part of the tribute, the festival will screen Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding' and 'Manthan'.

The actor himself will be present during the screening of 'Manthan' on April 21 and will participate in a question and answer session with the audience after the screening.

Best known to Western audiences for his roles in 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', 'Monsoon Wedding', and 'The Perfect Murder', Naseeruddin Shah has won numerous National as well as International awards for his work, including three Filmfare awards, two National awards for the Best Actor, and the prestigious 'The Volpi Cup' at the Venice Film Festival for the film 'Paar'.

The actor received the Padma Shri Civilian award in 1987, and the Padma Bhushan award in 2002. He was recently bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mumbai International Film Festival.

Among the actor's films to be screened at the IFFLA, 'Monsoon Wedding' won the 'Golden Lion and Laterna Magica' Prizes at Venice when it was premiered there in 2001. The film went on to win the Producers Spirit Award' and earn 'Golden Globe,' Broadcast Film Critics Association and BAFTA nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. 'Manthan fetched him the Filmfare award for Best Actor in 1976.

Deepa Mehta's 'Water' will be the opening film at the IFFLA, which, along with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will also honour sitar maestro and renowned composer Ravi Shankar with a Lifetime Achievement Award on April 19.

The third film in Deepa Mehta's ''trilogy of the elements,'' after 'Earth', starring Rahul Khanna, Nandita Das and Aamir Khan, and 'Fire', starring Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi, 'Water' will premiere at the festival, scheduled to run from April 19 through April 23, 2006 at ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood.

Starring Bollywood actor Seema Biswas(of ''Bandit Queen'' fame); Lisa Ray (of ''Bollywood/Hollywood'' fame) and current Bollywood teenage heartthrob John Abraham, 'Water' depicts the plight of widows in the 1930s' India, wherein they were often condemned to live in ''widow houses'' following the deaths of their husbands. Present at the screening of the film at IFFLA will be the producer Deepa Mehta and its female lead Lisa Ray, who will take part in a question and answer session with the audience following the screening.

Also on April 19, during the Gala Reception the IFFLA and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will jointly present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Pt Ravi Shankar.

In addition, acclaimed artists Paul Livingstone and Pedro Eustache of the Arohi Ensemble and Barry Phillips will perform one of Pt Ravi Shankar's ragas in tribute to their former teacher.

Besides being a internally recognised Sitar Maestro, Pt Ravi Shankar has over the years established himself as a prolific music composer.

Pt Ravi Shankar, who earned international recognition when he received nominations for a Grammy and an Academy Award for Sir Richard Attenborough's ''Gandhi'' has composed music for over 26 Indian feature films, including the Satyajit Ray's ''Apu Trilogy.'' He has won nine Filmfare Awards (''Anari,'' ''Mera Naam Joker'') and three Grammy Awards for ''West Meets East'' in 1967; ''Concert for Bangladesh'' (1972 Album of the Year); ''Full Circle-Carnegie Hall 2000'' (2001 Best World Music Album). The late George Harrison, who collaborated with Shankar, referred to him as the Godfather of World Music.

This year's line up at the Festival consists of 33 films from 13 countries including 9 US premieres and 3 world premieres.

UNI