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The controversial new film Unfreedom has unveiled its first theatrical trailer. Banned in India and featuring an ensemble cast including Victor Banerjee, the provocative film will be released uncut in U.S. theaters on May 29.

Unfreedom juxtaposes two powerful and unflinching contemporary stories about religious fundamentalism and intolerance. Shifting between New York and New Delhi, one tale follows a Muslim terrorist who kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar in order to silence him, while the other charts the travails of a young woman whose devout father tries to force her into an arranged marriage, which she resists because she is secretly in love with another woman. The four characters come face to face with gruesome acts of violence in battles of identity, sexuality, religion, love, and family.

Written and directed by Kumar, the film stars Victor Banerjee (A Passage to India, Meherjaan), Bhanu Uday (Monsoon), Bhavani Lee, Preeti Gupta, Seema Rahmani (Good Night Good Morning,...

When a film is “banned” by the Censor Board of Film Certification, you know you are onto something. Well, that is exactly the case with Raj Amit Kumar’s film Unfreedom.

Homosexuality.

Islam.

Thinking outside of convention.

Unfreedom breaks all the “rules”.

The film follows two different lives, the storyline pivoting on a female same-sex relationship and the dangers of religious extremism.

Shifting between New York and Delhi, one story explores the kidnapping of a liberal Muslim scholar by a Muslim terrorist. The other story dives into a woman’s journey -a woman secretly in love with another woman. She faces the challenges of this love when she refuses an arranged marriage set up by her religious father.

Classified as “too controversial” for release in India, the film will release in North American theatres on the 29th of May 2015 and simultaneously on digital channels via Film Buff.

The juxtaposition of...

Dark Frames, a new distribution company dedicated to bringing high-quality, non-Bollywood Indian films to North American and international audiences through theatrical and digital channels, will release its first title, Unfreedom, on May 29, it was announced today by Dark Frames’ founder, Raj Amit Kumar. Veteran film marketer and distributor Mark Urman of Paladin is partnering with Dark Frames to lead the marketing and distribution of its release slate. Dark Frames will also partner with Film Buff to distribute Unfreedom at the same time on Cable VOD and other digital platforms.

Unfreedom juxtaposes two powerful and unflinching contemporary stories about religious fundamentalism and intolerance. Shifting between New York and New Delhi, one tale follows a Muslim terrorist who kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar in order to silence him, while the other charts the travails of a young woman whose devout father tries to force her into an arranged marriage, which she resists...

The world premiere of Bedabrata Pain’s drama Chittagong featuring Manoj Bajpayee will open the 10th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. The film is set against the backdrop of 1930’s British-occupied Chittagong on the brink of a youth led revolution, and tells the story of 14-year-old Jhunka who comes of age as he is faced with the ultimate questions of sacrifice, love, and the quest for true freedom.

The award-winning film Patang by Prashant Bhargava will be the closing film of the festival. The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles announced its 2012 lineup comprising 33 features, documentaries, and short films.

The eight feature films to be screened at the festival include Salim Ahmed’s Abu, Son of Adam, Rajan Khosa’s Gattu, Karan Gour’s Kshay and Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni’s Deool.

Documentaries include the world premiere of Ruchika Muchhala and Faiza Khan’s look into Indian society with The Great Indian Marriage Bazaar...

For those familiar with indie movies, Seema Rahmani is not a new name. Having started her acting career with television, Seema made an impression with her movie Sins (starring Shiny Ahuja) followed by Loins of Punjab Presents and Missed Call. The lovely actress in an exclusive with BollySpice:

How did acting happen to you? Is this something you always wanted to do or it happened by chance?

It happened by chance. I had performed in a musical and a play in school but didn’t know I would be an actor. I was in public relations for two years when I realized it wasn’t the career I wanted for the rest of my life. A couple of people suggested I go into modeling. I didn’t really want to do that, and so I took some time off, prayed intensely for direction, and the universe conspired, so to speak,...

Manish Acharya, who shot to fame with his directorial debut, Loins Of Punjab Presents, passed away in the wee hours of Saturday. His untimely demise is the third loss to Hindi film industry after directors Saurabh Narang and Pankaj Advani in the recent times.Acharya, who had gone to Matheran with his family on Thursday, is believed to have met with an accident, which eventually led to his death. Filmmaker Onir, expressing immense shock at the loss of a colleague and friend, revealed that the accident took place when Acharya fell off a horse. “His head hit a stone, which proved ...

Maverick actor-director-producer Manish Acharya, of " Loins of Punjab Presents" fame, fell off a horse to his death in Matheran on Saturday morning. The multi-tasker who played almost every role, from camera assistant to director to actor, was 40.Nikhil Chaturvedi, his brother-in-law, said, He was on a holiday with his two children and wife. He fell from the horse and hit himself on the head. He was rushed to the Ambani Hospital in Nerul but was declared dead by doctors."Loins of Punjab Presents", Acharya's last film, received much critical appreciation. A source from the industry said, He was planning a period drama based in the '80s and had begun work on it. Manish planned to make two more films, Chaturvedi added.Going by what the industry had to say about him, Acharya was a multi-faceted talent. He not only acted in films like Farhan Akhtar...

Young filmmaker Manish Acaharya who directed Loins Of Punjab Presents passed away a short while ago today. Reportedly, he met with a fatal road accident which caused his death. Manish had done his Mfa in Film Directing from the Nyu Tisch School of the Arts. He also acted in Zoya Akhtar's Luck By Chance and was the narrator of Sita Sings The Blues. After Sourabh Usha Narang and Pankaj Advani, Manish is the third young filmmaker who has died this year. One of his last posts...

Loins of Punjab Presents is a mockumentary patterned after the formula of Christopher Guest - a variety of could-have-beens and wannabe butt heads in a contest of talent, but more importantly, of self-worth and vindication, in which seemingly average non-creative types pit themselves (and each other) against steep odds and go to surprising lengths to get something that most people wouldn’t even think of applying for. In this case, the object of the game is the Loins of Punjab Bollywood-style singing contest, sponsored by Mr. Bokade (Jameel Khan), who is bringing all of this to fruition courtesy of his outrageous pork fortune. As a portrait of Indian-American culture and people who aren’t as talented as they wish they were, Loins is surprisingly sharp in its politics and perspective on the difficulties of maintaining cultural identity in a rapidly shifting world. It's too bad it doesn’t work better as a film.

DVD Playhouse—April 2010

By

Allen Gardner

Ride With The Devil (Criterion) Ang Lee’s revisionist take on the Civil War is awash in moral ambiguity, along with some stunning cinematography, production design, and fine performances. Set during the Kansas-Missouri border war, Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich star as two friends who join up with the Confederate-sympathizing Bushwhackers, finding an odd ally in a former slave (Jeffrey Wright). While it’s fascinating to see America’s bloodiest conflict through the eyes of a foreigner, thereby allowing much of the previously mentioned ambiguity a certain latitude, the film never loses the bad taste it leaves for one simple reason: it asks us, the audience, to side with not just the Confederates, but some of the lowest trash that made up the dregs, and the fringes, of the movement. Big points for audacity, but snake eyes on the story itself. Singer Jewel is impressive in her film debut.

CHENNAI, India -- Loins of Punjab Presents is an honest and amusing though somewhat shoddily produce look at expatiate Indians in America. It gushes witty, one-liners and there is no background musical score that is often so intrusive in Indian cinema, nudging, nay pushing, a viewer into a mood the director sets. And for his first movie, helmer Manish Acharya -- who also plays the part of Vikram Tejwani, whose job is about to be outsourced to India -- shows restraint in steering clear of the obsession among international Indian moviemakers for stereotyping desi -- or first generation immigrant -- characters.

Despite its humor, which at times is bawdy, the film may not score with commercial audiences seeking as a matter of habit Bollywood formulas, but it can get into festivals thanks to the well cast actors and careful characterizations.

During a music competition sponsored by a big pork manufacturer in the U.S. called Loins of Punjab, a motley group of contestants parks itself in a New Jersey hotel. Among them is Rita Kapoor (Shabana Azmi), a social butterfly who controls judges and contenders through sexual or other favors. While she takes one of the judges for a romp, she tempts a couple of participants with lucrative assignments in return for them quitting the contest.

Young Preeti Patel (Ishitta Sharma) -- in tow with her entire family bent on seeing her win the huge prize money of $25,000 -- plays tough, not easily swallowing Kapoor's bait of a fabulous modeling offer. Meanwhile, Kapoor does get Bollywood aspirant Sania Rehman (Seema Rahmani) disqualified on a flimsy ground.

Even the smallest parts have been diligently written by Acharya and Anuvab Patel, capturing the finer nuances of each. These include the gay Sikh participant, Turbanotorious B.D.G. (Ajay Naidu), a bundle of aggression; Opama Menon (Ayesha Dharker), whose American boyfriend, Josh Cohen (Michael Raimondi), is the only foreign competitor in the group and places ambition ahead of relationship; and Sharma's Patel, caught between her own dream and parental shove.

However, the movie leaves one with a sneaking suspicion that Acharya was more than a little inspired by Little Miss Sunshine.

LOINS OF PUNJAB PRESENTS

Horn OK Please Entertainment

Credits:

Director/producer: Manish Acharya

Writers: Manish Acharya, Anuvab Pal

Director of photography: Arvind Kannabiran

Production designer: Ayesha Punvani

Music: Michael Cohen

Costume designer: Rabiah Troncelliti

Editor: Christopher Dillon

Cast:

Rita Kapoor: Shabana Azmi

Vikram Tejwani: Manish Acharya

Opama Menon: Ayesha Dharker

Sania Rehman: Seema Rahmani

Preeti Patel: Ishitta Sharma

Josh Cohen: Michael Raimondi

Turbanotorious B.D.G.: Ajay Naidu

Running time -- 88 minutes

No MPAA rating...