OPENING NIGHT
The second annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival commences the evening of September 30th 2011, where glamour and elegance merge with art and culture.
The opening night movie, Rang Rasiya, screens at 7pm at the Claudia Cassidy Theater followed by a Questions and Answers session with principal actors.
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Chicago South Asian Film Festival - Opening Night Film
The second annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival commences the evening of September 30th 2011.
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Chicago South Asian Film Festival - Opening Night Film
Rang Rasiya is an Indian drama film based on the life of the 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.
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Chicago South Asian Film Festival - Opening Night Film
Q & A with Nandana Sen & Randeep Hooda
ABOUT THE NIGHT
Opening night takes place at the magnificent Chicago Cultural Center (77 E. Randolph Street). This landmark building houses the city’s official reception venue and has welcomed presidents, royalty, and community leaders. The evening begins promptly at 5:30 pm with a red carpet arrival for guests and filmmakers. Expected attendees include award winning directors and actors - Nandana Sen, Randeep Hooda and Gulshan Grover. Formal attire is highly recommended.
The festivities conclude with an exclusive opening night gala at the lavish Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall in the north wing of the Cultural Center. Enjoy tantalizing hors d'oeuvres along with alcoholic beverages and other refreshments as you network in style with a crowd of prominent guests and artists.
05:30 pm Red Carpet Arrival - All Attending Filmmakers
07:00 pm Introductory Remarks
07:15 pm Opening Night Film "Rang Rasiya"
09:00 pm Q&A with Actors Randeep Hooda & Nandana Sen
09:15 pm Gala/ Reception (until end of evening)
10:15 pm "Yudh" Trailer Screening/ Q&A with Rohit Karn Batra
10:35 pm Gala/ Reception continues
11:45 pm Opening Night Concludes
Tickets are limited, so be sure to buy yours early. We are expected to sell out.
Expected Attendees
Nandana Sen
Nandana Sen, daughter of Nobel Laureate and Bharat Ratna economist Amartya Sen, studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She made her first debut in Bollywood as Rani Mukerji's 17 year old sister in the movie Black. In 2008 she appeared in the British television series Sharpe, in the episode Sharpe's Peril. She stars in the opening night film, Rang Rasiya, playing the sensuous role of Raja Ravi Varma's muse, Sugandha.
Randeep Hooda
Dashing actor Randeep Hooda made his movie debut in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding playing the role of a Non Resident Indian. The Haryana native played the lead in Ram Gopal Varma's gritty gangster flick D. In our opening night film, Rang Rasiya, Hooda stars as the controversial Indian painter, Raja Ravi Varma.
Gulshan Grover
Gulshan Grover is one of the first Bollywood actors who pioneered the transition from Indian to International Cinema. In over 400 films to date over a 25 year career, he has acted in many of India's most successful films, received numerous accolades and awards, and is a prominent figure in the Indian film community. His recent film 'I Am Kalam' earned him nomination for National Awards Of India 'Best Supporting Actor'.
Nila Madhab Panda
Director Nila Madhab Panda has produced and directed over 70 shorts, documentaries, television drama and films; winning several awards. He also founded India Screenwriting lab which focuses on creating quality scripts for Indian Cinema. He says this of his first full length feature film, I Am Kalam: "I am very excited to show the film as part of CSAFF. My film is small in budget, but big in heart, I am sure the people of America's cultural hot spot, Chicago would love it".
Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep began his film career in New York City as a production assistant on Fox's New York Undercover and the HBO series The Sopranos. During his stay in New York, he also worked on the feature films A Perfect Murder and Substance of Fire. After New York, Sandeep moved to Los Angeles where he worked in production on the films Phoenix and Deep Impact. Sandeep moved to India and continued his film career working on the controversial films Kama Sutra and Fire. Currently he is an adjunct faculty at Columbia College in the film department. We are proud to show case his latest short, A Portrait in Bombay.
