Chakravyuha

Prakash Jha’s best-kept secret in his new film Chakravyuha exploring Maoist insurgency is out. Om Puri plays the real-life character of the controversial capitalist-turned-Maoist Kobad Ghandy. Ghandy’s fascinating journey from Malabar Hill to the Naxalite jungles of Karnataka has flummoxed, fascinated and fired the imagination of generations of social scientists. At 63, Ghandy’s saga continues to be in enigma of social protest and insurgency.

The prestigious London Film Festival’s director Clare Stewart has invited Prakash Jha’s latest film <em>Chakravyuha</em> to be the opening film at the festival. A singular honour, considering no Indian film has opened the London Film Festival since Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand in 1997. There is only one hitch. The festival directorate has requested Prakash Jha to postpone the film’s release date by a week, from 5 Oct to 12 Oct so that the film can be premiered in London.

In Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine, Arjun Rampal plays a role that can easily be traced to the Hindi film industry. In the film, Kareena plays the actress that the volatile superstar Arjun Rampal has an extra-marital affair with.