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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline OCTOBER 277, 2023 | The Indian Eye 33

Indian Film Festival opens with

‘Khufiya’ in Los Angeles

NEERAJ DHAR
Los Angeles
FFLA brings to Los Angeles au-
diences the most exciting and
Igroundbreaking independent
cinema from South Asia and its di-
asporas, and it offers emerging and
established filmmakers numerous in-
dustry-facing mentorship, education-
al and networking opportunities.
IFFLA’s annual festival,
now in its 21st year, offers a vibrant
program comprising features and
shorts, including narrative, documen-
tary, and animated works. The festi-
val showcases films from eight coun-
tries in the South Asian subcontinent
– Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh,
India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan,
and Sri Lanka – as well as their dias-
poras in the US and worldwide.
Renowned Director Vishal
Bhardwaj’s film Khufiya was an
Opening Night Gala feature. Festival
attendees & Bollywood Film lovers
enjoyed the screening of film Khufia
& Q&A afterwords.
Joining on the Red Carpet from
the Los Angeles were Nadadur S.
Kumar, Dr. Bharat Patel, Rajendra
Vora, Dr Shubha Jain, Smita Bagla,
“3 Idiots” star Omi Vaidya, Svetla-
na Tulasi & many more joined the
Red carpet with IFFLA team & film
makers.
Rajendra Vora congratulated
Svetlana Tulasi at the Red Carpet for
her appearance with an Indian Classi-
cal Dance to a Bollywood song at the
Ukraine’s Got Talent TV, Russia Got
Talent TV, Dance Plus & many more.
Svetlana is an Indian classical Kathak
& Bollywood dancer, choreographer
and actor with over 100 million views
over social media. She was born to a
mixed Indian/Russian family in Mos-
cow & now she resides in LA.
In early 2000s Dhaka, Krishna
Mehra, played by a terrific, melan- ra and her unit realize there is a mole Venerated Indian filmmaker and subvert the stereotypes they habited
cholic Tabu, is an Indian intelligence in the agency. This sets off a thrilling composer Vishal Bhardwaj directs a earlier in their lives. The slippery and
operative laden with guilt, secrets and cat-and-mouse game across three fierce female-driven ensemble, in the shifting world of Khufiya houses spies
a repressed identity as a queer wom- countries and two continents, involv- screen adaptation of ‘Escape to No- galore, even as they remain far from
an. When her lover Heena Rehman, ing a fellow agent and his ingenuous where’, Amar Bhushan’s novel based the homes–and loving–they need.
also an operative, beguilingly por- wife. But really, like the best espio- on real events. Eschewing depictions Opening Night of IFFLA ended
trayed by Azmeri Haque Badhon, is nage thrillers, it’s a story of being the of women as the femme fatale or the with remarkable response from volun-
killed in an attempt to assassinate the queen of your heart versus always saccharine manipulator, Bhardwaj teers, donors, Film and TV faculties
Bangladeshi Defense Minister, Meh- having an ace up your sleeve. ensures that these complex ladies which made a memorable opening.

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