Toronto to showcase a full Indian spectrum

TORONTO: A diverse range of Indian films and a fair sprinkling of Bollywood glamour will share the spotlight with the best of world cinema at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which opens here on September 12.

The festival, one of the world's most vibrant celebrations of the art and business of cinema, will showcase two big-banner Bollywood films, an Indo-US co-production, a couple of regional features and a Diaspora entry.

In its first half, TIFF will host a gala screening of the Shahid Kapur-Rani Mukherji starrer, 'Dil Bole Hadippa'. In the second half, it will lay out the red carpet for Ashutosh Gowariker’s 'What's Your Raashee?’ starring Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra. The stars of the two films will be on hand to add sparkle to the proceedings.

TIFF co-director and India programmer Cameron Bailey says, "The idea is to bring the full diversity of Indian cinema to audiences in Toronto. People here are familiar with India’s regional cinema but commercial Hindi films haven't had the sort of exposure that they deserve. They are an integral part of the Indian cinema landscape."

Director Dev Benegal and lead actor Abhay Deol will be in Toronto, along with actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik and actress Tannishtha Chatterjee, to attend the world premiere of Road, Movie, an Indo-US joint venture produced by Studio 18-promoted Indian Film Company and Hollywood's Susan Landau and Ross Katz.

-PTI