Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

Giving film buffs a nostalgic feel of how silent films were screened in tents a century ago, some rare classics of the silent era will be shown at the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) from Sunday. At the complex of the state-run multiplex Nandan, a makeshift camp to accommodate around 200 people has been made to recreate the environment in which films used to screened once upon a time. Named after one of India's first film- makers, the Hiralal Sen Mancha will screen 15 black and white classics during the week-long carnival to celebrate the completion of 100 years of Indian cinema. This Sunday, Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra , India's first full-length feature film released in 1913, will be shown. Based on the mythological story of King Harishchandra, the film will be shown in DVD format. Music composer Debajyoti Mishra has been assigned to play live music during the screening, officials said. This would be followed by another of

-- Amitabh Bachchan just inaugurated the 18th Kolkata International Film Festival here in Kolkata. BigB addresses the audience. The function started with a tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema by sweet melodies. Brand of Bengal Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif with Anushka Sharma are now also on the stage with Dada Mithun Chakraborty. A. B.

Brand Ambassador of Bengal superstar Shah Rukh Khan arrived in the city with Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma last night as special guests of the inaugural function of 18th Kolkata International Film Festival to be held at Netaji Indoor Stadium and expressed his primary reaction, said, I'm happy to be here." -- A. B.

18th Kolkata International Film Festival will be inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Netaji Indoor Stadium. It is the second oldest and only international non-competitive film festival of the country. This year, the fest would be more gorgeous, more star-studded as the Brand Ambassador of West Bengal Shah Rukh Khan will assist BigB inaugurating the festival. Moreover, the leading ladys of the movie Jab Tak Hain Jaan Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma would also be there at inauguration. And Mithun Chakaborty will be there. The whole Tollygunge film industry would be there at Indoor Stadium, so no shooting schedule will be there tomorrow in Kolkata. BigB will go on the stage through the tunnel on which he danced 20 years ago for the film Yarana. Not only that, under the title 'Big Story', a panorama of BigB's memorable films like Saat Hindustani, Abhiman, Main Azad Hoon, Saudagar, Deewar, Black and Cheeni Kum will be exhibited at 7 p.m.

-- A. B.

The legendary magician of India Sr. P C Sorcar (23 February 1913 - 6 January 1971) toured many countries. Once he was in London, BBC was telecasting his live show of dissection of human body, but be stopped his show keeping the viewers in tension about the dissection because it was the time of BBC News. So, BBC had to continue the show for 2 months instead of one day on public demand. Next 23 February is the centennial birthday of Sr P C Sorcar. Hence, his son, magician P C Sarkar and his family organising an exhibition at Gorky Sadan (6 November 2012 - 8 November 2012) where hundreds of his rare photos, posters, tickets, paper-cuttings will be showed in the exhibition. When Netaji Subhas was in Japan to organise Azad Hind Fouz, Sr P C Sorcar was then busy with his shows in Japan also and handed over the money from selling of tickets to Netaji. These documents are also being shown in the exhibition. We are proud of him. He was s Bengalee from Kolkata, but won the heart

International Kolkata Film Festival would be inaugurated by Amitabh Bachchan on 10 November in Kolkata. Shah Rukh Khan - the Brand Ambassador of West Bengal would also present on the occasion. Moreover, Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma etc would also present here. And the actors of Tollygunge would also present on the occasion. Hence, it would be a glamorous and star-studded programme. -- A. B.