Dil Se

Dr H Vinod Bhat, Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University has been leading a silent revolution in propelling research in private universities, implementing ways to plug the growing gap between education and careers and collaborating with knowledge centres across the spectrum to incentivize teaching.  MEENAKSHI RAO  caught up with him to discuss issues around the higher education system on the sidelines of the university’s convocation ceremony. Excerpts How focussed is higher education on the job market? Why this growing disconnect between education and careers? The year 2004-5 was when the McKinsey report came, saying that only 25 per cent of Indian graduates are employable. That was the first shock to the Indian education system. The main problem at that time was lack of job skills. We were good in programming, coding etc but were found lacking in team work, management jobs and skills. Immediately, the institutions and industry took corrective steps by strengthening and re...

As technical committee head of IFFI, young director Kukunoor’s job is to see that all films shown at the festival are of chakachak quality.  MEENAKSHI RAO  catches up with him in Goa to talk about cinema & issues around it What are you busy with nowadays? I did a web series, actually directed the pilot. It is with Nimrit Kaur and a fictional account of the first woman commando called   The Test Case , it is on the Balaji platform. It is a format I am exploring very actively, something that has fascinated me for long. I have always tried hard to do something that I have never done before. To tell a story in 100 or 120 minutes is something I have been doing but to tell it in 500 minutes is a huge challenge so I am interested in this new format. What are your views on this alternate platform of web entertainment? Right now we are all guessing, we are all hoping. We feel very strongly that it is the future for the simple reason that if you look at TV, we sta...

The Film Bazaar has emerged as the largest South Asian film market encouraging creative and financial collaboration between South Asian and international film communities, says   Meenakshi Rao Film Bazaar, the business and liaison hub of the international Film Festival of India, has been buzzing with activity, more so with an unprecedented boom of young Indian filmmakers finding a platform to showcase and find buyers for their mounts which rarely find multiplex openings in India and, thus, take to the Track 2 route of film festival buys and individual distributor interest from across the world. It is quite a revelation to attend the Film Bazaar’s unique concept event called Film Bazaar Recommends (FBR) where the young guns of world class Indian cinema, far away from Bollywood, show their independent movies and documentaries to prospective buyers and personally present a compelling pitch for their effort in three-minute talk slots attended by prospective buyers.  Th...

 Iranian film-maker MAJID MAJIDI has been the toast of the town at IFFI, what with his acclaimed film Beyond the Clouds inaugurating the festival to a jam-packed and appreciative audience . Meenakshi Rao  caught up with him on the sidelines of the Goa show Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi doesn’t know any Indian language but his first film about this country speaks volumes about the nation’s ethos, its daily tumult, underbelly, struggles and  negativity but, delightfully accompanied by its uniquely Indian consorts — hope and positivity. Beyond the Clouds is Majidi’s first Indian film, emanating from Mumbai, and it has created waves with its subtle journey through a brother-sister relationship immersed in crises of all kinds yet floating in a strange boat of hope and togetherness. “It is the story of a brother and sister in a very difficult situation and how the two realise the importance of the family and togetherness in such a complex situation. Strangely, the ...