CinematicLuminaries Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khan discuss Shakespeareaninfluence at the iconic launch of the MAMI Film Club

CinematicLuminaries Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khan discuss Shakespeareaninfluence at the iconic launch of the MAMI Film Club

(Highlightedby a candid conversation on Shakespeare and his global influence onfilm, art & culture, the event saw some heart-warming exchangesbetween the actors as they revealed as much about themselves as aboutcinema at this star-studded club debut)

by Suman Gupta

May 2016, India-wide release: In a moment oftrue metamorphosis for the Indian film fraternity, Mumbai witnessedtwo cinematic legends celebrating Shakespeare’s world-wideinfluence on education, society & culture. Sharing their owncinematic journeys, Megastars Sir Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khan sharedan inspiring conversation at the debut of Mumbai Academy of MovingImages’ (MAMI) Film Club at NCPA today.

Hallmarkingthe 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, MAMI Film Club(in association with the British Council, the BFI, GREAT, NCPA andFountainhead) brought together megastars Sir Ian Mc Kellen and AamirKhan to share a dialogue exploring the many adaptations andinterpretations of Shakespeare’s work that filmmakers acrossborders have showcased for the big screen. This mega-event waspresented as a part of ‘Shakespeare Lives’ - a globalprogramme launched by the British Council and the GREAT BritainCampaign.

Joinedby the who’s who of the Indian film and business fraternity,this star-studded launch event saw the likes of Kangana Ranaut, SonamKapoor, Imran Khan, Kiran Rao, Kabir Khan, Mini Mathur, Rajkumar Rao,Vinod Chopra (and many more) amongst the other 150 well-known facesthat attended ​the prestigious programme.

Sharingnarrative on how Shakespeare lives on in film and the extent of hiswork that has surpassed boundaries, Sir Ian Mc Kellen and Aamir Khanused the MAMI Film Club’s launch as the perfect persuasiveplatform to investigate the nature of historic cinema and itsportrayal of the legendary playwright’s most loved charactersvia some formidable movie picks. The conversation not only examinedignited story-telling ideas by lauded filmmakers’ world-wide,but also shed light upon little known secrets about the author’slife that influenced his characters and their portrayal on the bigscreen.

Havingappeared in more than half of Shakespeare’s plays staged allover the world, Sir Ian Mc Kellenin conversation said, “There is nothing old fashioned aboutShakespeare. You cannot understand Shakespeare in a classroom or byreading. The right medium to discover his true genius is throughtheatre with the right actors, the right director (the way it ismeant to be) as theatre, film and cinema are the best media toexperience him. His thinking is about modernism and issues that arerelevant even today, hence his work travels across the globe!”

Sharinghis enthusiasm further, method actor/genius AamirKhan added, “The first time Iexperienced Shakespeare was in the tenth grade when I studied JuliusCaeser. It opened my world to a newness I had never known (before).Infact, my first movie was also inspired by Romeo and Juliet, a trueShakespearean classic. It was an honour sharing stage with a legend,I feel discussions like these influence the artists in all of us andinspire us to become better at our crafts.”

Throughyear-round activities such as screenings, masterclasses, in-depthconversations with talent, and workshops, the MAMI Film Club aims toserve as a platform for filmmakers and film lovers, to explore theirdeep-rooted passion for cinema and to inspire and fuel creativityacross genres.

MsKiran Rao, Chairperson, MAMI says, “It’stime for the world to stand-up and take notice of Indian cinema andits contribution to film-making globally. Shakespearean adaptions inIndian movies (as well) prove testament to the fact that we are onthe brink of an amazing journey ahead. MAMI via its Film Club andother year long initiatives aims to satiate the exact same hunger forgreat story-telling one movie at a time. ”

Ms.Anupama Chopra, Director, MAMI feels,“2016 is a year of transformation for MAMI and thisconversation piece was a strategic move in the right directiontowards its bright future. We aim to make this festival one ofinternational acclaim and masterclasses cum workshops such as thisensure that we bring to our country a slice of intelligent,researched and respected cinema from the world over. We deeplyappreciate the support extended to MAMI by all our partners inensuring the roaring success of our first event this year and wouldalso like to thank title partner Jio and associate partner StarNetwork for their continued support in building the academy.”

Ms.Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, MAMI said,“The MAMI Film Club is our education mouth-piece where weinvite members of the film-industry to learn from one another andestablish a cohesive friendship with the sole aim to uplifting Indianfilm-making and opening minds of budding movie-makers to explore theyet unknown territories of cinematic brilliance. Sir Ian Mc Kellenand Aamir Khan enthralled the audience with their insights andtongue-in-cheek humour, teaching us that there is never is a ceilingfor creativity as long as you believe.”

The MAMIFilm Club plans to organize a film-based event every month startingMay. Visit our website on http://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/ toenroll and stay up to date with the latest events and festivalrelated updates.

AboutThe MAMI Film Club:

The MAMIFilm Club is a platform for filmmakers and film lovers, which isdedicated to igniting and cultivating a passion for cinema. Throughyear-round activities such as screenings, masterclasses, in-depthconversations with talent, and workshops, the Club aims to inspireand fuel creativity. There will also be activities designed toengage children and young adults, with the vision to nurture ourfuture audiences. Besides screening a host of curated series ofuncensored movies and the best of cinema from around the world,masterclasses will be hosted with some of the most renowned andsuccessful creators working in film, both from India and abroad, toencourage conversations on cinema with an aim to nurture, support,engage, educate and entertain. As a pre-cursor to Half-Ticket, MAMI’syear round roster of activities will also feature Special FilmProgrammes for Children and Young Adults to introduce cinema from allaround the world to them and do post screening sessions. The clubwill also have a special focus on Knowledge Bootcamps that will beheld for industry members to encourage and enable exchange ofknowledge and information within the industry, and foster a morecohesive work culture.