Indian actress Tabu (“The Namesake”) will kick off the 19th edition of the Indian Film Festival Los Angeles in April with “Andhadhun,” directed by Sriram Raghavan.
Running April 11-14 at the Regal L.A. Live, IFFLA will open with a tribute to mono-monikered Tabu and a moderated discussion along with a screening of her latest film. The opening and closing night films and galas will be held at Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills.
Tabu plays an actress caught disposing of her husband’s body in front of a pianist, who may or may not be blind in the black comedy “Andhadhun.”
“We have discussed honoring Tabu for a long time, and this year felt like the right time,” said Christina Marouda, IFFLA’s executive director. “Her work and personality embody everything that IFFLA is about — being fearless, versatile, independent in spirit, unwilling to compromise, brilliant in the range of her performances, and simply beautiful. With half of the festival’s 2019 line-up directed by female filmmakers, this couldn’t be a stronger celebration of women in Indian cinema.”
Other highlights in the lineup include Sundance and Slamdance faves “Photograph,” directed by Ritesh Batra (“The Lunchbox”); “Cat Sticks” by Ronny Sen; “Taking the Horse to Eat Jalebis,” helmed by Anamika Haksar; “Love Goes Through Your Mind” from UCLA alum Ronak Shah; and “Chippa,” by Safdar Rahman and starring Sunny Pawar (“Lion”).
The festival will also feature a discussion on South Asian faces in TV called Breaking in Brown: Making It to Series in TV’s Golden Age. Presented with support from India Center Foundation, the panel will feature South Asian directors, producers and actors working in TV.
While the closing night film is yet to be announced, the full line-up is at indianfilmfestival.org.