What we see in mainstream films matters: What’s it like to be an openly Queer director or a leading female actor from the Northeast or to be a debutant Kashmiri actor in Bollywood? How do all these identities intersect with the mainstream industry like Bollywood? What challenges do these artists face? Join us for a conversation with National award-winning director Onir and National Award winning actor Geetanjali Thapa with debutant Zain Khan Durrani as the male lead of Bollywood feature film #KuchBheegeAlfaaz about “a finely crafted” “‘Utterly delicious recipe of digital romance’ – Deccan Chronicle.

Speakers

Onir: Onir is a film and TV director, editor, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his film My Brother…Nikhil. He has also won the National Award for his film I Am. Onir was awarded the 2008/9 Triangle Media Group Honorary Award and won Best Film awards at both the London Asian Film Festival and the River to River. He also won Florence Indian Film Festival and IRDS film awards for Best Director for Social Concern. Geetanjali Thapa:  Geetanjali is an Indian film actress. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress (2013) for her performance in Liar’s Dice. The film was also India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. Thapa latest release was Academy award winning director Danis Tanovic’s Indian film, Tigers, which also selected to screen in the Contemporary World Cinema Section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Her performance in her latest film, ‘Kuch Bheege Alfaaz’, has been hailed by Firstpost as symbol of female resilience and vigour. Zain Khan Durrani: Born and raised up in Jammu and Kashmir, Zain Khan Durrani, ‘makes a strong debut with a brilliant and understated performance’ (The Times of India) and is most decidedly a prized find’, writes Subhash K Jha (the quint).