'Laal Singh Chaddha', 'Joyland', 'Jai Bhim' to be part of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne line-up

The 2022 edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) will screen films such as the upcoming Aamir Khan-starrer "Laal Singh Chaddha", Anurag Kashyap's "Dobaaraa" and the acclaimed Pakistani title "Joyland".

The film gala will be held in the Victorian capital from August 12-20, both in person and virtually, the organisers said.

According to the festival website, the IFFM will showcase movies across categories such as feature films, documentaries and short films along with an homage to master filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

Apart from "Laal Singh Chaddha" -- gearing to be released in theatres on August 11 -- other films that are part of the 'Hurrah Bollywood' segment are Ranveer Singh-fronted cricket drama "83", Ayushmann Khurrana-Vaani Kapoor's "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui", and three Prime Video original films Deepika Padukone-starrer "Gehraiyaan", the Vicky Kaushal-headlined "Sardar Udham" and "Jalsa", which featured Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah.

The 'Beyond Bollywood' section of the festival will present "Dobaaraa", headlined by Taapsee Pannu, the acclaimed Suriya-starrer "Jai Bhim", Aparna Sen's "The Rapist", "Two Sisters and a Husband" by director Shlok Sharma, "Jhini Bini Chadariya" (Ritesh Sharma) and "Shankar's Fairies" among others.

Films from the subcontinent at the festival includes Pakistani movie "Joyland", written and directed by debutant Saim Sadiq, which had won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival; Bangladeshi filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki's "No Land's Man", starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and "Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom", which was Bhutan's entry for best international feature film at the 94th Academy Awards, among others.

As part of the Satyajit Ray Tribute, the festival will showcase the Apu trilogy: "Pather Panchali", "Aparajito" and "Apur Sansar".

Short films to be screened at the IFFM include the Naseeruddin Shah-starrer "The Daughter" and director Vijayeta Kumar's "Kicking Balls". The documentary section will include titles like "Ayena (Mirror)", "Ladies Only" and "W.O.M.B Women of My Billion". Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev is the guest of honour at the festival, which will be attended by actors Samantha Prabhu, Tamannaah and "83" director Kabir Khan.

Image: Instagram/@actorsuriya