Lia Chang
Samrat Chakrabarti and Ashes filmmaker and star Ajay Naidu at the MIAAC screening of Ashes at the SVA Theater in New York on November 12, 2010. Photo by Lia Chang
I chatted with Samrat yesterday just before he went to the screening of the third film he has at the festival, the documentary Sundaram Tagor’s The Poetics of Color: Natvar Bhavsar, for which he created the score. Check back for my exclusive interview with this globe-trotting actor, composer and musician, who has been having a whirlwind of amazing film, television and music projects.
Q&A of Ashes - A film by Ajay Naidu at the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival, SVA Theater in New York on November 12, 2010. (l-r) Ajay Naidu, Debargo Sanyal, Atul Ohri, Samrat Chakrabarti, Ajay Naidu, Reena Shah & Ajay Mehta. © 2010 Lia Chang
The Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival is the longest-running, most prestigious Indian film festival in the country, and continues through November 14. For further information please visit www.miaacfilmfest.org.
About the Indo-American Arts Council: The Indo-American Arts Council is a registered not-for-profit arts organization passionately dedicated to showcasing, building awareness, and celebrating artists of Indian origin in the performing, visual and literary arts. Annual festivals of art, dance, play writing and film are scheduled through the year, with several special events and book launches. For further information please visit www.iaac.us. The IAAC Film Festival was born in the aftermath of 9/11 in response to Mayor Giuliani’s call to New Yorkers to help rebuild a limping city. The First Annual film Festival opened its doors with Film Diaspora Godfather Ismail Merchant and closed with New York’s favorite Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Four years ago, Mahindra & Mahindra joined forces with the IAAC Film Festival by becoming the lead sponsor, changing the name of the festival to The MIAAC Film Festival.
About The Mahindra Group: Mahindra embarked on its journey in 1945 by assembling the Willys Jeep in India and is now a $7.1 billion Indian multi-national company. It employs more than 100,000 people across the globe and enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, tractors, and information technology, with a significant and growing presence in financial services, tourism, infrastructure development, and trade and logistics. Today, The Mahindra Group is an embodiment of global experience and enjoys a strong corporate brand image.
Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world. It is today a full-range player with a presence in almost every segment of the automobile industry, from two-wheelers to CVs, UVs, SUVs, and sedans. Mahindra recently acquired majority stake in REVA Electric Car Co. Ltd. (now called Mahindra REVA), strengthening its position in the Electric Vehicles domain.
The Mahindra Group expanded its IT portfolio when Tech Mahindra acquired the leading global business and information technology services company, Satyam Computer Services. The company is now known as Mahindra Satyam.
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In The Waiting City, the latest offering by Australian director Claire McCarthy, Samrat Chakrabarti portrays Krishna, a hotel worker that an outwardly happy Australian couple, played by Radha Mitchell (Finding Neverland, Pitch Black) and Joel Edgerton (The Square, Star Wars: Episode II & III), befriend when they travel to Kolkata, India, to collect their adopted baby. Upon their arrival, they discover their arrangements have yet to be finalized, and must wait in this chaotic and foreign place. The vulnerability of their marriage begins to reveal itself as the intoxicating powers of the Indian city pull them in separate and unexpected directions. 
