Rouge Assassin on the Floor

Living Legend Dharmendra in his own style striding the ramp at Sahil Collections fashion show offered an interesting twist to the Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation Fundraiser dinner

September 21st New York: The Nargis Dutt Memorial Foundation's 28th Annual Fundraising Dinner on September 20, 2009 at Marriott Long Island, New York was a brimful evening of glamour, opulence and extravagance. Fashion-house Sahil's Timeless Fashion Show themed 'Moulin Rouge' perfectly captured the excess and freneticism of 18th Century Paris. Classy silhouettes and elaborate embroidery squired seductive hues and mesmerizing cuts to evoke a celebration of femininity steeped in rich indulgence.

Living legend Dharmendra, who is an iconic Hindi-cinema hero, had the audience in raptures as he walked the ramp for Sahil in tribute to the memory of Nargis Dut on the beats of his most memorable songs 'Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana' from the film Pratiggya playing in the background. The show-stopper was Bollywood actress Pooja Batra, who looked gorgeous in a Pink and Fuchsia dress with black embroidery, as she sashayed with Bhavesh Patel, CEO of Sahil.Sahil Collection soon to open their store by this Diwali in Oak tree road New Jersey.

Extending support for this benevolent cause of cancer health care, the chief guest, Dharmendra articulated, "Today I am here to represent the charitable foundation instituted by Sunil Dutt. This organization was a dream of Nargis Dutt, later materialized into reality by her husband, Sunil Dutt." Brimming with emotion he continued, "Both Sunilji and Nargisji cherished me as a brother; they continue to hold a special place in my heart."

Narrating an account of how the philanthropic Dutt couple played the 'hand of God' in his early days as a struggling actor, "In 1958, I came to Bombay for a talent contest. Sunil and Nargis Dutt selected my photographs in the final selection round and pronounced 'He is the best hero for the industry'. And the rest as you know is history." A notable member of the Indian Parliament, Dharmendra recited a self-authored verse which asserted, "Nurtured with your unfaltering love, I feel young each day."

The honorees felicitated at the Fundraiser Dinner:
- Vikas S. Dhall (IMINDER) for outstanding Business Entrepreneneur
- Atul Kumria - Regional Director of North America (Kingfisher Airlines) for outstanding Business Leader
- Ravishankar Bhooplapur for outstanding Humanitarian
- Rajiv K.Garg, CEO (Wycoff Heights Medical Center) for outstanding service in the field of Medicine
- Dilip V.Patel, MD for outstanding Patient Care
- Inderpal S.Chhabra, MD for outstanding Service

Trishala, daughter of Sanjay Dutt also joined Dharmendra on the stage with his grandfather Mr. Kailash Sharma, also the Honorary President of the foundation, she cited, "This has been the best year so far for the Foundation and we have raised 30% more money from last year." Commenting on participation from common people, Trishala said, " You can be a part of the foundation by attending the gala, donation, or getting involved with the activities of the Foundation. Everyone is free to volunteer if they want to be involved."

Heading way was a dazzling performance of modernized Can-Can dance by Rujuta Vaidya, a leading influence in contemporary Bollywood dance in unison with Pranav Tailor, runway choreographer. Intended to be a little risqué, and somewhat provocative, the flamboyant costumes characterized the culture of belle époque Paris. This medley of Broadway, Tango, Ballet and Jazz together with the stars was the brainchild of Shruti Tiwari of MediaSphere, an integrated PR and Event Management firm.

Links--
Dharmendra on Ramp
Sahil Fashion Show
Sanjay Dutt's Daughter Trishala

The Kaleidoscopic portraits of the Sikh community sparked a new perspective at the Sikh International Film Festival

A tribute to the immigrant experience, the Sikh International Film Festival on September 18-19, 2009 promoted the Sikh and Punjabi culture and heritage. While the two-day festival encapsulated Sikh history, art and politics in films by independent filmmakers, the closing night gala at the opulent Ciprani on Wall Street was a heady mix, shimmering in stardom with presence of renowned personalities from media, film and art fraternity, including special appearance by M. F. Husain, India's best-known painter, who arrived at Asia Society on September 19th.

In its 6th year, the festival had diverse documentaries, short and feature films by independent filmmakers on issues affecting the Sikh community. Amongst the 14 films screened during the festival, the US Premiere of ‘Turbanology’, which essayed the West’s reaction to the Sikh turban after the 9/11 terror attack, drew wide attention from the audience.

The Indian envoy to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri praised the Sikh community’s efforts to promote the customs, traditions, culture, and identity. During the Sikh Heritage Awards, after the film festival, he said, "The Sikh community, both here and in India, is recognized for its hard work and commitment."

The Sikh Twins, who directed ‘1984 and the Via Dolorosa Project’ which was screened on September 18th. Their poignant documentary marks 25 years of genocide in India when thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed in the aftermath of assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On an upbeat note, the world premiere of ‘Flying Sikhs: A History of Sikh Fighter Pilots’ provided an intimate portrait of the valiant Sikh pilot’s contribution towards the Allies victories in WWI and WWII.

Guest of Honor, Consular General Parbhu Dayal announced the film award winners selected by the distinguished panel of judges including Dr. Sarab Singh Neelam whose film Ocean of Pearls debuted at the Sikh Film Festival last year, Tibetan filmmaker Ngawang Choephel, and Vicki Mabrey – correspondent for ABC News Nightline. ‘A Warrior’s Religion’, directed by Mani Amar which explored urban youth gang violence in the South Asian community, won the Best Documentary Award. Kuldip Powar’s winning Short Film ‘Unravelling’ explored the complex themes of war & remembrance, loss & exclusion and colonial legacy in contemporary Britain through poetic motifs.

An instant success of the evening was the silent and live auction of exquisite Sikh & Punjabi Art featuring Arpana Caur's art, jewelry and bronze artwork. Actor Samrat Chakrabarti whose film The Waiting City debuted at the Toronto Film Festival with resounding success was also part of the red carpet gala event. In addition, Pooja Kapoor, a Bollywood actress, for Bollywood Hero, lighted up the evening with her shimmering dress while tapping her feet on DJ Kucha's catchy beats.

Infectious rhythms of Bangra pioneers RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) from UK and Nindy Kaur had everybody grooving to popular hits from Bollywood movies till the wee hours.

Kolkata vexations travel to Toronto

Samrat Chakrabarti who plays Krishna in The Waiting City is centre stage at the Toronto International Film Festival

On September 17, at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, Samrat Chakrabarti will walk the red carpet for the gala premiere of ‘The Waiting City’. A charming and multi-faceted actor, in the movie, Samrat portrays the character of Krishna, a hotel-worker who befriends an Australian couple who have traveled to Kolkata to collect their adopted baby.

As part of this latest offering by Australian director Claire Mc Carthy, starring Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton and Isabel Lucas, Samrat said, “I am proud of my work in the movie, and look forward to the premiere show.” ‘The Waiting City’ will have its world premiere screening at the Special Presentations line-up.

The Toronto International Film Festivalis arguably the world's biggest public film festival which drew more than 300,000 film-goers to the theatres last year, apart from 300 critics, and filmmakers from Hollywood and more than 50 other countries.

“Kolkata as a city in West Bengal, India is chaotic and crowded. Set against this exhilarating, epic background, it was impossible not to be affected by the place. As characters of ‘The Waiting City’, we were transformed by the people of the city and their powerful milieu,” confirms Samrat, who parenthetically has strong Bengal descent.

Born in London to immigrant parents from India, Samrat grew up in Boston. His métier as an actor began early, with his first big success as Ahmad in Spike Lee’s ‘She Hate Me’ with Jonh Turturro. This was followed by a string of projects which established him as a notable actor of South Asian Indian heritage.

- Samrat is best known for his role as Amir in Amyn Kaderali’s ‘Kissing Cousins’
- He has acted in diverse movies depicting the Indian experience in the American Diaspora such as Manish Acharya’s ‘Loins of Punjab Presents’ with Shabana Azmi where he plays Trance Sen
- In Sarba Das’s ‘Karma Calling’ which was screened at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York, Samrat played the role of a charming call centre employee in India – Rohit Rao – alias Rob Roy when calling Americans, who dreams of visiting New York.

- His international cinematic roles include ‘Sing Now or Forever Hold Your Peace’ with Molly Shannon and as Rakesh in The Bong Connection with Victor Banerjee.
- Samrat has also done cameo in Yash Raj and Kabir Khan’s ‘New York’ with Bollywood stars John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh.

Samrat is a Masters of Fine Arts for Advanced Theatre Training from Harvard University and has Honors Degree in Theatre from Brandeis University. He has made girriuest appearances on Television in Law & Order, Sopranos and Love Monkey to list a few. Samrat has also been active in stagecraft. His theatre credits include

- Nirad Das in Tom Stoppard ‘Indian Ink’ at The Missouri Repertory Theatre
- Arun in Saman Shad's ‘Lingering Voices’ at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Desipina 7-11 Convenience Theatre in NYC

A multi-faceted artist, Samrat derives inspiration his from motion art, coupling music with theater. Working in various film industries, international cinema, television and theatre, Samrat's career spanning over 15 years, also has to his credit various national awards for his arrangements and compositions including a US Cara for best original pop/rock song, for his composition, ‘What's It all About’. He is a former member of the a capella group Five O' Clock Shadow. He was also a part of the group The Hyannis Sound. In 1998, he was in the group JYDE, which contained an original song ‘Starving’, written and arranged by Samrat. Most recently, he wrote, composed, performed, and produced the theme song, ‘Dhol Beat’, for the Indian hit film, ‘Loins of Punjab Presents’. He has produced and performed with various international acts (from Boston to Bollywood) and continues to do so.

Clipping of movie

Screening Schedule
- Thursday September 17 6:00PM Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
- Friday September 18 1:45PM Scotiabank Theatre 1
- Saturday September 19 6:15PM Varsity 8

Sikh International Film Festival 2009 -- Turbanology New York Style!

NEW YORK, NY - The Sikh Community is identifiable by their colorful turbans that can be seen in every borough of the modern world capital -- New York City. Sikh turbans have taken on a new meaning in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. Many people mistook Sikhs for terrorists because of their turban and as a result, they have been victims of hate crimes. This emanated the need for an organization to educate New Yorkers about Sikhs and also help them assimilate into the Western society.

The Sikh Arts and Film Foundation has stepped forward to represent this cause. It was established six years ago with a mission to promote better understanding of Sikh heritage, arts and culture, as well as the contributions of Sikhs in American society.

Every year the organization celebrates the rich heritage, traditions and culture of Sikhs and the South East Asian immigrant experience through a diverse mix of Independent Documentary and Short Films at the Sikh International Film Festival 2009 September 18-19, at the Asia Society.

-- 1984 and the Via Dolorosa Project and My Mother India is at the outset of the Feature Session on Friday, September 18 to mark 25 years of genocide in India when thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed in the aftermath of assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

-- This emotionally charged Session ends on an upbeat note with the World Premiere of Flying Sikhs: A History of Sikh Fighter Pilots which provides an intimate portrait of the valiant Sikh pilots contribution towards the Allies victories in WWI and WWII.

-- The Documentary Session on Saturday, September 19 explores the topic of urban gang violence in A Warrior's Religion.

-- The enchanting History of turban -- from ancient Christianity to modern day Sikhs -- is essayed in the US Premiere of Turbanology. This powerful documentary explores the impact of the war on terrorism and western society's reaction to a humble article of faith -- the turban.

The Sikh Heritage Gala, a formal black-tie event at Cipriani Wall Street, concludes the Film Festival. Acclaimed film-director and producer Mira Nair is the Guest of Honor for this evening of dance performance, art auction, and live entertainment accentuated by Bhangra pioneers RDB from the UK.

Dr. Paul Johar, Film Festival Chair, explained, "The primary goal of the films we show is to hold a mirror not only for Sikhs but to an audience worldwide. We have a diverse set of films, and encourage film makers with our support every year by awarding $15,000 in prize money!"

The winners in the Documentary and Short Films will be selected by a notable panel of judges including Dr. Sarab Singh Neelam - Director of Ocean of Pearls, Sabrina Dhawan - Writer of Monsoon Wedding, and Vicki Mabrey - Correspondent for ABC News Nightline.

Since 2008, Governor - David A. Paterson has issued a proclamation declaring the Sikh International Film Festival dates as Sikh Heritage Week, in recognition of the Sikh Art & Film Foundation's efforts to promote cultural diversity in New York.

Complete Schedule, Film Details and Tickets at www.sikharts.com.