46th IFFI celebrates Shashi Kapoor with a special Retrospective on his works

46th IFFI celebrates Shashi Kapoor with a special Retrospective on his works

The Retrospective on Shashi kapoor a matter of pride: Kunal Kapoor 

Kunal Kapoor, the son of the noted actor, producer, filmmaker Shashi Kapoor interacted with the media here today to give details of the special retrospective on Shashi Kapoor which opened at  IFFI 2015 yesterday. The retrospective opened with the screening of the film Junoon. Shashi Kapoor, the handsome actor of yesteryears and famous for his chocolaty looks has been  given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2014.

The special retrospective on Shashi Kapoor will screen eight films from ‘ The Householder’  to ‘Muhafiz’, covering more than three decades of his career. One of the earliest actors to go international, his versatility as actor made him an incredible asset in both artistic and popular cinema. The films to be screened under retrospective include Deewar, Junoon, Kalyug, Muhafiz, New Delhi Times, "Shakespearewallah", The Householder and Utsav.

Addressing the press conference, Kunal Kapoor said that it is a matter of honour that his father was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke award this year and a retrospective is being organised on him at IFFI, 2015. He said that his father, Shashi Kapoor has grown in theatrical background as he has been associated with the Prithvi theatres. Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres and was built by Shashi Kapoor in memory of his father Prithviraj Kapoor , Kunal explained. Shashi Kapoor has contributed to the continuity of Prithvi Theatre after the death of his father Prithviraj Kapoor. This is a ‘constructive tribute’ to his father, he said.

“We are striving to take forward the legacy of the great Prithvi Raj Kapoor in various ways and restoration of the films of my father is one of them” , said Kunal.  We are now trying to restore the films of Shashi Kapoor since restoration, maintenance and preservation of films is very important to carry forward the legacy for the younger generation to see it. “ I thought of restoring the films made by my father and much to my shock I found them lying in our garage”, disclosed Kunal . Junoon has been lucky from restoration point of view but Utsav is less fortunate since it got damaged in floods. A copy of Utsav has been found with  NFAI which will help them in the task of restoration, Kunal explained.

Shahsi Kapoor was born in 1938 as Balbir Raj Kapoor, he was the youngest of the Prithviraj Kapoor's four children. He entered into acting at an early stage while touring with his father, Prithviraj Kapoor, and his theatre group, Prithvi theatres. Shashi Kapoor's first film as a lead actor was Dharmputra (1961) and he went on to appear in around 116 Hindi films. Char Diwari (1961) marked the onset of the century which saw his rise to stardom. He also worked in numerous American and British productions. He started doing English language films in 1963, the first being Merchant Ivory's The Householder co-starring Leela Naidu. This was followed by several other films such as Shakespearewallah (1965), Heat and Dust (1982) and In Custody(1994) amongst others. At that time, he was one of the first Indian actors to have worked extensively in Hollywood projects. He won National (special jury) Award for his performance in Muhafiz (1993) and New Delhi Times (1986). In 1978, Shashi Kapoor built Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, Mumbai, in the memory of his father, to promote professional theatre and to develop an audience for theatre. At the same time he also set up his production house 'Film-Valas' which produced critically acclaimed films including Junoon (1978) for which he won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi (as Producer), 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981) andUtsav (1984). Shashi Kapoor put his own money into Prithvi Theatre (now a landmark Theatre in Mumbai) and the films he produced. He believed in giving back to the industry that had supported him all his life. His genuine congeniality, his equal treatment of cast and crew, his unbiased generosity and undying charm contribute in making him a man the Indian film industry adores. In 2011, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

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A sound designer is somebody “who uses sound to tell stories” feels the Hollywood Sound Designer Mark Mangini  

A Sound designer is not a mere synchroniser of sound, but is the overall planner with a vision on how to use sound and its effects for storytelling feels the famous Sound Designer and Sound Editor of Hollywood , Mark Mangini. Mark has worked on such notable films as: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Gremlins, Die Hard, Star Trek, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Fifth Element, The Green Mile, Warrior and Jack the Giant Slayer.

Interacting with the media at IFFI, 2015 here today, Mark Mangini said that the sound designer is required to work in close association with the director on every minor detail for effective use of sound in story-telling. Responding to a question whether he missed anything as the technology transformed from analogue to digital, he said that analogue forces you to hear each and every sound and develops as well as disciplines your sense of hearing. A sound can convey different moods and emotions, it can be thrilling or terrifying or pleasant, he explained.

Three time Academy award nominated Sound Designer, Musician, Re-recording mixer and Lecturer, Mark Mangini has made his life's work creating unimagined aural worlds and fabricating sonic realities for theatrical motion pictures. He is currently (2015) a Governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences representing the Sound Branch.

Mangini has received the following Oscar nominations for Best sound Editing:

·        1986 Academy Awards: Nominated for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.

·        1992 Academy Awards: Nominated for Aladdin.

·        1997 Academy Awards: Nominated for The fifth Element

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Having grown up a musician, he is avowed of the idea that all organized sound is music. A Boston native, he went to university as a foreign language major but could not ignore his love of film and filmmaking. He moved to Los Angeles at 1976 and landed his first job in the entertainment industry in the sound department of Hanna Babera Studios at the age of 19.

He is currently a sitting governor of the Sound Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Casting director is a bridge between the talent and the producer: Nancy Bishop  

Nancy Bishop, Casting Director member Casting Society of America said that in America Casting Director works for production while talent agents represent actors. “I understand casting process in India is different” she added. Nancy was addressing a press conference at IFFI, 2015 here today. About a question on casting couch, she admitted with reservation, it does exist at some level. Regarding places looking for talent, she said she takes workshops in various countries and also goes for street casting when a totally unknown face is required. Neither producer nor cast director but it is the financer who has final say in deciding cast in most of the cases. Casting being a creative process, time taken in finalising the cast depends on the project, she replied to another question. She will also take the Master Class on Wednesday at ongoing IFFI, 2015.

Nancy Bishop, C.S.A. is an Emmy nominated casting director, who works internationally with offices in London and Prague. With nearly one hundred major feature  films and television projects among her credits, Nancy has  cast hundreds of actors throughout Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. Nancy has been retained  as casting director by dozens of major screen producers and directors, including Brad Bird (Mission Impossible IV), Roman Polanski (Oliver), and Ridley Scott (Child 44). She also was nominated for an Emmy Award for her casting work on Anne Frank: The Whole Story, ABC/ Disney Studios.

Nancy is a native of New England and trained as an actor and director at the University of Michigan and the National Theatre Institute. She earned a Master’s of Arts degree in theatre at Northwestern University. Nancy began her career as an actor, director and acting teacher in Chicago. In the 1990s, she helped to found two cutting-edge theatre companies that are still going strong today: Strawdog Theatre and Theatre Oobleck.

In the early 90’s, Black Box Theatre lured Nancy to Prague, where she produced and directed a number of plays, and launched touring productions throughout  Europe.  This time period is ironically portrayed in Rex-Patriates, a mock-documentary film that Nancy produced and directed. Now in addition to casting Nancy continues to guest lecture internationally, offering on-camera master classes and seminars to develop actors’ on-camera skill and career marketing.

In 2009 she founded the Acting For Film Program, at the Prague Film School, which offers an intensive, conservatory style training (half year of full year) program for actors in English.  She is also very active on the International film Festival Circuit, where she regularly produces and partakes in panel discussions and symposiums on the casting process. She is a member of the Casting Society of America and the International Casting Directors Network.