Like
every
year,
an
incredible
movie
parade
livened
up
every
cinephile’s
heart
at
the
MAMI
Mumbai
Film
Festival.
The
curtain
came
down
on
the
2024
edition
of
the
fest
some
days
ago,
but
not
without
the
lasting
memories
of
some
wonderful
films.
This
year’s
festival
brought
with
it
buzzy
titles
like
Payal
Kapadia’s
luminous
All
We
Imagine
As
Light
and
Sean
Baker’s
Palme
d’Or
winning,
wildly
entertaining
Anora
to
Raam
Reddy’s
sophomore
film
The
Fable
starring
Manoj
Bajpayee
in
terrific
form,
and
Konstantin
Bojanov’s
The
Shameless
that
won
Anasuya
Sengupta
the
Best
Actress
award
at
Cannes.
Mayur
Sanap
may
have
missed
some
prominent
films,
like
Emilia
Peréz,
Shambhala,
Santosh,
Rhythm
of
a
Flower
and
Girls
Will
Be
Girls,
but
there
was
still
much
to
like
and
admire.
Mayur
lists
his
favourite
discoveries
from
MAMI
that
you
should
look
out
for
in
the
coming
months.
Boong
First
time
Director
Laxmipriya
Devi
spins
an
incredibly
sweet
and
oddly
devastating
tale
of
love
and
yearning
in
her
Manipuri
film
Boong.
A
wonderful
Gugun
Kipgen
plays
the
titular
character,
a
mischievous
schoolboy,
who
sets
out
to
find
his
missing
father
in
his
endeavour
to
bring
a
special
gift
for
his
mother,
played
by
an
excellent
Bala
Hijam
Ningthoujam.
The
film
touches
so
many
beautiful
themes
at
once:
Friendship,
love,
family,
kindness,
redemption,
acceptance,
and
even
making
a
friend
of
an
enemy.
What
a
way
to
learn
about
all
of
this!
By
the
time
the
climax
arrives,
you
have
your
heart
broken
into
pieces.
I
don’t
think
I’m
going
to
recover
any
time
soon.
Nocturnes
From
the
clear-eyed
narration
to
incredible
shots
of
the
Eastern
Himalayas
and
unique
information
about
butterflies
and
moths,
this
documentary
is
hypnotic
as
much
it
is
awe-inspiring.
Film-makers
Anirban
Dutta
and
Anupama
Srinivasan
make
nocturnal
insects
their
focal
point
and
render
an
absolute
sensory
delight.
Kudos
to
Satya
Nagpaul’s
evocative
images
and
Shreyank
Nanjappa’s
atmospheric
sound
design
for
crafting
much
of
its
appeal.
When
the
overarching
message
arrives
about
the
human
impact
of
climate
change
on
other
living
creatures,
it
hits
like
a
strong
emotional
punch.
Agent
of
Happiness
Is
it
possible
to
measure
happiness?
What’s
the
barometer
to
capture
human
emotions?
Heck,
what
is
happiness
anyway?
In
Agent
of
Happiness,
film-makers
Arun
Bhattarai
and
Dorottya
Zurbo
draw
on
an
interesting
case
study
of
Bhutan’s
happiness
index
calculation
that
leads
to
a
searing
portrait
of
life
as
we
know
it.
Through
a
number
of
fun
and
touching
interviews,
the
documentary
takes
various
accounts
into
consideration
to
gently
anatomise
what
it
means
to
be
REALLY
happy.
Along
the
way,
we
also
learn
more
about
Bhutan’s
culture
and
lifestyle
and
the
prevalent
issues
that
the
country
is
dealing
with.
This
one
is
an
ultimate
food
for
thought!
Little
Jaffna
A
throbbing
heart
of
a
sleek
Bollywood
entertainer
with
a
mind
of
a
smart
western
noir,
that’s
how
I’d
describe
debutant
Director
Lawrence
Valin’s
smashing
Little
Jaffna.
Valin,
who
also
plays
the
lead,
shows
the
Sri
Lankan
Tamil
ghettos
of
Paris
and
crafts
a
heady
mix
out
of
crime,
politics
and
betrayal.
The
cherry
on
the
top
is
Maxence
Dussere’s
electrifying
score!
Hope
they
release
the
album
soon.
A
Fly
on
the
Wall
Who
knew
a
film
about
death
would
be
so
uplifting?
Director
duo
Shonali
Bose
and
Nilesh
Maniyar’s
A
Fly
on
the
Wall
is
a
compassionate
documentary
that
chronicles
final
days
of
Chika
Kapadia,
Bose’s
dear
friend
of
three
decades,
who
had
chosen
to
put
an
end
to
his
life
after
he
was
diagnosed
with
a
terminal
illness.
Bose
and
Maniyar
accompany
Kapadia
during
his
final
days
in
Switzerland
where
he
approaches
physician-assisted
suicide
at
the
Swiss
organisation,
Dignitas.
The
camera
constantly
films
the
emotional
and
moral
complexity
of
the
situation,
and
presents
us
nuanced,
non-exploitative
stand
on
the
topic
of
an
individual’s
right
to
die.
The
film
reminded
me
of
the
French
film
Everything
Went
Fine
which
tells
the
story
of
two
sisters
who
decide
to
fulfill
their
unwell
father’s
last
wish.
But
A
Fly
on
the
Wall
isn’t
all
heartbreak
and
despair.
The
film
renders
a
moving
experience
that
finds
incredible
beauty
and
humour
in
the
midst
of
melancholia.
We
become
friends
with
Chika
as
we
get
closer
to
his
high-spirited
persona
that
exemplifies
Anand‘s
iconic
line:
‘Babumoshai,
zindagi
badi
honi
chahiye,
lambi
nahi.’
By
the
time
we
reach
the
inevitable
conclusion,
the
film
leaves
its
scar,
beautiful
enough
to
last.