MAMI 2019 Day 1 and 2 highlights: Nivin Pauly, Sobhita Dhulipala's Moothon opens festival; Axone, The Wayfarers premiere

The Jio MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival kicked off with an opening ceremony on 17 October, which was attended by a host of Bollywood celebrities and members of the film industry. The opening film of the event, Moothon , was screened on 18 October.

The spotlight was made for this moment. Welcome, #Moothon! The big night is truly underway at #JioMAMIwithStar2019 @geetumohandas @NivinOfficial @ShashankSArora @sobhitaD pic.twitter.com/kNJzT74Jvj

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 18, 2019

The characters in Moothon are similar in their confusion, and this is the most appealing thing about them - @geetumohandas at the screening of #Moothon at #JioMAMIwithStar2019 #MoothonAtMAMI @NivinOfficial @sobhitaD @ShashankSArora pic.twitter.com/pVMgouxiWH

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 18, 2019

It took a lot of learning and unlearning for @NivinOfficial to deliver a performance, audiences believe, to be his best. #Moothon #JioMAMIwithStar2019 #MoothonAtMAMI #NivinPauly pic.twitter.com/3nP7QNccdn

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 18, 2019

Written and directed by Geetu Mohandas, the film revolves around a boy as he sets out to reunite with his elder brother.

Pradeep Menon of Firstpost wrote, “Moothon is a film that stands out for its visceral emotional tapestry interwoven with action-thriller elements. Like a life fraught with questions and travails, it is a ride that can get bumpy, but it is one you should go on, should you get the chance.”

Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films

Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films premiered four short film, according to Asian Age . Sepia, starring Aparshakti Khurana,directed by Archit Kumar; Siblings by Sheetal Menon; Nawab directed by Mansi Jain and Adheen directed by Yash Verma. This was followed by a panel discussion, where the creators discussed the “art of storytelling”.

The Last Color

Chef and restaurateur Vikas Khanna’s The Last Color was showcased on 18 October. The film deals with taboo surrounding widows in Vrindavan and Varanasi in India and stars Neena Gupta. Her portrayal also lead her to win the Best Actress award at Indian International Film Festival of Boston in September.

.@TheVikasKhanna speaks about The Last Colour and how it’s inspired by so many of his own experiences. #JioMAMIwithStar2019#VikasKhanna @Neenagupta001 @Uma_daCunha #TheLastColour pic.twitter.com/7QHSnwdTlr

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 18, 2019

Restaurateur, chef, and writer. Chef @TheVikasKhanna already wears many hats. And now he adds Debut Filmmaker to his many titles with The Last Colour.#JioMAMIwithStar2019 @Neenagupta001 @Uma_daCunha #vikaskhanna pic.twitter.com/V91BYjDeWw

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 18, 2019

Siddhant Adlakha for Firstpost had previously written, “It’s a picturesque work, filled to the brim with meaning and heartwarming intent, though sadly, it also appears to be where Khanna finally meets his match — for the time being, at least.”

Geetanjali Rao’s animation feature Bombay Rose had its India premiere as well. Other films that were showcased on Day 1 include, Arati Kadav’s space drama _Cargo, Ad Astra, Babyteeth, The Lodge, The Two Popes, Little Jo_e and Eeb Allay Ooo!, among others.

Day 2

The Southern Invasion Redefining Regional panel discussion took place on 19 October. Filmmakers Vetrimaaran, Bejoy Nambiar, festival director Smriti Kiran and moderator Baradwaj Rangan discussed the intricacies of regional films and the challenges of bringing these narratives onscreen.

.@VetriMaaran, @nambiarbejoy, and @smritikiran, in conversation with @baradwajrangan on Southern Invasion: Redefining Regional. #JioMAMIwithStar2019 #VetriMaaran #BejoyNambiar #BaradwajRangan #SmritiKiran #JioMAMIwithStar #SouthernInvasionRedefiningRegional pic.twitter.com/zYhiBfTq0z

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

Axone Vinay Pathak, Sayani Gupta’s film Axone, directed by Nicholas Kharkongor had its premiere.

It was just great fun to watch them fumble with our character names. - Nicholas Kharkongor, on pitching his film, Axone to Siddharth Anand Kumar from @YoodleeFilms #JioMAMIwithStar2019 pic.twitter.com/yy1N5kKtts

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

With @MadhuriDixit as her heroine, @linlaish pursued acting never conceiving she would be talking of her film to an audience. Films are opening up for the North East, and anything can happen-wise words from the ecstatic first-timer at #JioMAMIwithStar2019 @YoodleeFilms pic.twitter.com/cnGEYnirEQ

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

All smiles on the #JioMAMIwithStar2019 red carpet! @linlaish @YoodleeFilms pic.twitter.com/3OIc3fc1j1

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

The comedy is set in Delhi that exposes entrenched racism towards people from other parts of the country. The film explores cultural and social experiences in a big city, where Sayani plays a tenant from the North East who along with her roommate must outdo her judgmental landlord, played by Vinay, to cook her own local cusine and dishes without antagonising the neighbours.

MAMI and Netflix collaborate to celebrate women in films

Netflix India and the 21st Mumbai Film Festival came together to celebrate the evolving role of women in Indian storytelling as part of MAMI’s Women in Film initiative.

Times are changing, and a new generation of women are taking over. @NetflixIndia International Originals Director #MonikaShergill is thrilled to be a part of this movement, as she hunts down sensitive, outrageous and powerful stories! #WomeninFilm #JioMAMIwithStar2019 pic.twitter.com/uqwmx4HP9G

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

Amongst the rightful clamor for a louder female voice in the industry, @iamsonalibendre gives the room more to cheer. As she goes on to say - more women than ever are commissioning work now, which is something that hasn’t happened much before.#JioMAMIwithStar2019 #womeninfilm pic.twitter.com/IYAndjMCjh

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

The Wayfarers

Adil Hussain’s Raahgir (The Wayfarers) had its India premiere as well, which was attended by the film’s cast and crew. The screening was followed by a QnA session.

You have to come from a space of lightness, no matter what character you play - @_AdilHussain , actor, The Wayfarers. #JioMAMIwithStar2019 pic.twitter.com/OVudqz5v3X

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

I took a lot from my own experiences for the character. So many people and so many sounds, from my village came back to me. - @NeerajKabi , actor, The Wayfarers. #JioMAMIwithStar2019 pic.twitter.com/Yze7BNgS5J

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

.@TillotamaShome from The Wayfarers, makes a powerful statement on portraying people in the margins while coming from a place of privilege. Listen in. #JioMAMIwithStar2019 #TheWayfarers #Raaghir pic.twitter.com/Ufp5s6x0Gm

— MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (@MumbaiFilmFest) October 19, 2019

The film tells a tale of human empathy in time of crisis and revolves around three characters and their relationship as they embark on a journey in search of livelihood.

Other celebrities spotted at the festival were Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sensharma, Seema Pahwa, Shabana Azmi and Ninad Kamat.