Cannes in tears/Day 590

Disney Pixar has made a sensational return at the Cannes Film Festival with their new animated film Inside Out which has been described as "mind-blowing". The reception to the film after its premiere had everyone teary eyed when the film concluded.

An unusual idea of what goes on  inside the head of 11-year-old Riley, where voices like Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Anger (Lewis Black) compete for the girl's attention/emotion/ and memories.

"My daughter was about nine when she did the voice of Ellie in Up," said Director Pete Docter, referring to the movie which won him the Oscar for best animated film in 2010. When she turned 10 I felt she appeared a lot less energetic unlike her friends, she appeared suddenly withdrawn and I wondered what went on in her little head and that's really how the idea of the film was born. Inside Out is actually a tribute to my girl and all children."

Disney Pixar's Inside Out releases on 26th June in India.

Eating Healthy/Day 589

The other day as I was walking at my Club I met Sujatha Duvvuri, an accomplished Oddisi dancer who I have often bumped into at many social gatherings but never sat down and chatted with. Sujatha graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and simultaneously became a mother in the year2000. It was her decision to give up her flourishing career in the USA to give undivided attention to her son.

Three years later she had a baby girl and her family decided it was time to relocate to India. It was not easy, Sujatha and her husband had to start from a scratch and befriend their country after living 17 years abroad. Other women would have mourned the loss of a career; Sujatha was focused on her children and feeding them with healthy food besides of course following her passion, dance.

Sujatha says she was busy with typical Mommy stuff and would extensively research and experiment with nutrition options for kids. “I would experiment chocolate pudding with Avocados without letting them know of the contents.  I’m health conscious and disliked the idea of my toddlers eating boxed/processed cereals for breakfast and other fancy foods when they went out. Twelve years ago I baked cereals for fun and after a successive three months of trial-and-errors, I finally figured out the perfect combination of breakfast cereal that was nutritionally balanced and attractive to children.”

And Sujatha has never looked back. She bakes and makes protein-rich, healthy breakfast cereals for her family that has gradually spread to friends, neighbors and now celebrity clients. She supplies Protein-rich Granola Breakfast Cereals loaded with Anti-Oxidants, Omega – 369, Vitamins to improve and maintain body metabolism most suited for athletes, sportspersons and all those who watch what they eat. 

Those interested in Sattva food may contact Sujatha Duvvuri @sujathaduvvuri@gmail.com because she is worth it.

6th Kashish MIQFF 2015/Day 588

The 6th edition of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival held from 27May to 31 May concluded last week. Liberty Cinema, Alliance Française de Bombay and Max Mueller Bhavan celebrated cinema in style as the theme for this year’s festival was `Reaching Out, Touching Hearts’.

Acclaimed filmmaker Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares sponsored cash prizes for the three top competition categories at KASHISH – Rs 30,000 for the Best Narrative Feature Film, Rs 20,000 for the Best Indian Narrative Short film and Rs 20,000 for the Best Performance in a Lead Role. Wadia Movietone instituted a cash award of Rs 15,000 for the Riyad Wadia Award for the Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker. The other competition categories are Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short and Best International Narrative Short film.

The Indian Panorama comprised 20 films made in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi and Bengali. Four Indian feature length narrative and documentaries: Qissa by Anup Singh, Jayjaykar by Shantanu Rode, Known Strangers by Dipankar Dutta and Breaking Free by Sridhar Rangayan were the highlights of the festival.

Founded in 2010, KASHISH is the first Indian LGBT festival to be held with approval by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India is organized by Solaris Pictures. Co-organizer is The Humsafar Trust.