Capital to host B.R. Chopra film festival

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Known for making socially relevant films and catering to popular sentiments, B.R. Chopra turns 94 next week and a special tribute will be paid to the veteran filmmaker by screening nine of his masterpieces here from April 18.

Chopra's much talked about film 'Insaaf Ka Tarazu', starring Raj Babbar, Zeenat Aman and Padmini Kolhapure, will start the three day festival at the Siri Fort auditorium. Apart from Raj Babbar and Ravi Chopra, other prominent film personalities like Basu Chatterjee, music maestro Ravi, Raj Tilak and Bobby Bedi will attend the inaugural session.

The Film and Television Producers Guild of India is organising the event as a part of their initiative titled 'Guild Greats'. Co-organised by Assocham, the festival is being sponsored by Time Broadband Services Group's 'My Time'.

Other classics to be showcased include 'Hamraaz', 'Waqt', 'Ittefaq', 'Baghban', 'Gumraah', 'Nikaah', 'Naya Daur' and 'Chhoti Si Baat'.

Almost all these films were either made with a social objective, or broke new ground.

While 'Naya Daur' exhibited the Nehruvian look to a newly independent country and the responsibility of its people towards nation building, 'Insaaf ka Tarazu' dealt with some laxity in the legal system, 'Nikaah' questioned the law of divorce in Islam and 'Baghbaan' focussed on the problems faced by ageing parents.

While the opening ceremony will take place in the main auditorium, the other films will be screened in Siri Fort II.