“Embodies the message of transcending barriers....lyrical and life assertive” The Hindu

“Features a soundtrack from Indian classical music to Tagore to London streets....” Andrew Marr, BBC Radio: 4

“Deeply lyrical and residual...at once contemporary and contemplative....” audience response, MIAAC New York.

Best Feature Film Award at Pravasi Film Festival, Delhi

“Emphatic rendition of characters in real situations and heartfelt performances” - Jury Citation

A year after its inception a small budget independent British-Indian  film will be screened in Cannes at Marche du Film 20th May, 2010

Stormglass Productions UK launched its first feature film entitled LIFE GOES ON last May. Hailed as” King Lear in a Brit-Asian context” it has been critically hailed in the international festival circuit and has won awards.

The film (UK/India) has won Best Feature Film award at the prestigious Pravasi Film Festival in Delhi (India) and the Audience Appreciation Award at the London Asian Film Festival. It has also had sold out screenings  in New York (MIAAC Film Festival) and Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI).

An English language family drama, the film centres on the experiences of the Indian diaspora in Britain. The production showcases an exciting ensemble cast including a galaxy of Indian talent- Om Puri, Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad and Bollywood star Soha Ali Khan.

Written and directed by Sangeeta Datta, the film is a freewheeling adaptation of the King Lear fable, a gripping emotional drama of generational conflict set in contemporary London. The British cast includes Rez Kempton, Misha Crosby, newcomer Neerja Naik, Mukulika Banerjee, Stef Patten and Chris Hatherall. Intensive auditions and actors workshops were held in March-April before filming commenced last May.

The intensive four week UK schedule from May to June 2OO9, wrapped a day before planned. The 4O member unit was mainly based in an independent mansion in Iver Heath, Bucks. Locations were spread across central London (Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Camden Town, Victoria) and key sequences filmed in Hamsptead Heath, Southgate and Hendon. A short production schedule in India followed in the border town of Taki,  recreating the communal violence during the time of partition in Bengal.

LIFE GOES ON has generated considerable media interest in Britain and India. DOP Robert Shacklady has created stunning visuals on the RED camera. For many in the British unit, it was a first time experience with a multicultural story and a star spangled Indian cast. The unit consisted of many young film and media students, runners and observers who all claim it has been a great learning experience for them.

Legendary Bollywood script writer and song writer Javed Akhtar is  lyricist of LIFE GOES ON. For the first time in film music history,  songs have been translated in Hindi to the original tunes written by Rabindranath Tagore. Javed Akhtar has also written the lyrics for an original composition by Soumik Datta. Known for his collaboration with A.R. Rahman and Shankar Mahadevan, Soumik is the youngest composer with whom Akhtar has worked.

The music of LIFE GOES ON is creating an amazing buzz as it reflects the soundscape of contemporary London. Young composer Soumik Datta has drawn from classical orchestra, jazz and blues, Bangla folk, Turkish strains, French rap, to classical poetry of Tagore and Rumi to create a rich and vibrant soundtrack. Soumik has been hailed as a child prodigy as a solo classical Indian musician. He is a core memer of  the amazingly popular jazz band SAMAY whose first CD has been sold out in a few months. Soumik has studied composition at Trinity College of Music.

LIFE GOES ON will be travelling the international festival circuit before a commercial release. “The Lear parable is relevant in any age, in any part of the world. My protagonist learns to rid himself of prejudice and move ahead in life. Its this process of self examination which is needed today. And the belief that love transcends all barriers. It’s a small, independent film which has an international appeal. The festival route is the most suitable way forward” says writer-director Sangeeta Datta.

synopsis

The drama explores the relations between a grief stricken father and his three daughters.  Set in London, the time is now, the family of Indian origin. 

With his wife’s sudden death, Sanjay is suddenly thrown into close proximity with his three daughters.  The drama unfolds over six days from the day when Manju dies to day of the funeral.  Haunted by memories, grappling with this devastating loss, missing the mediating influence of his wife, Sanjay finds himself assessing and carving out new relations with his three daughters. He is faced with a further crisis when he discovers his youngest and most loved daughter Dia, has a Muslim boyfriend -Imtiaz. Confused and angry, Sanjay leaves home and wanders the streets of London one night.  With an unexpected series of events, Sanjay is forced to face his past demons, his trauma over the partition when as a child, he was forced to leave his home with his parents. Finally to come to terms with his old and unspoken prejudice about Muslims, in the larger context of the country in the grips of Islamaphobia as the events of 7/7 and the consequences of the Iraq war reverberate.

As he sits drenched and tired on a bench on Hampstead Heath and watches the sun rise – Sanjay puts his demons to rest. At the funeral he has come to terms with himself, he allows the Muslim boy to join the family rituals and sees his daughters for what they are and not what he expected them to be.

The shadow of Shakespeare’s King Lear bears on this contemporary and free adaptation. It works functionally as a sub- text in the film as we see Sanjay and Dia within the contours of the mythical Lear and Cordelia.