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

Add as a preferred source on Google

Courtesy, Rajesh Ahuja, UNI

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 .

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.