'AMY' stuns Cannes at its premier

'Massan' and 'Chauthi Koot' make India proud

BY MALTI SAHAI/CANNES

Asif Kapadia, Indian origin director of 2010’s auto-racing legend biopic ‘Sen’ has brought the short, tragic and remarkable story of troubled singing superstar Amy Winehouse to amazing life on the screen.

Ultimately this shooting star’s tale is a unrelentingly sad tale of a once in a generation talent unprepared for a life of no escape from prying cameras. It is that footage left behind, the footage that virtually destroyed her life along with many addictions and a disastrous relationship, that Kapadia has so masterfully assembled. Her life is captured on film, until her untimely death at the age of 27. It is mixed with interviews and the extraordiry music she made. Amys father has criticized the film for being exploitative where as the critics find it insightful and sincere and predict a best documentary Oscar for it this year.

Meanwhile, both the Indian films ‘Chauthi Koot’ and ‘Massan’ have been well received for their content and social comment. Massan by Neeraj Ghaywan got a standing ovation for five minutes making both him and lead actress Richa Chadda teary eyed. These films have done India proud at Cannes.