Film

PATANG (The Kite)

7:20 pm
Friday, November 11
Roxie Theater

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Director: Prashant Bhargava
Country/Year: India/US, 2011 
Running Time: 93 mins
Language: In Hindi and English with English Subtitles
Format: Digital

Prashant Bhargava in Person

Set against the dynamic and colorful spectacle of Uttarayan, India’s largest kite festival, Patang is a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of energy, romance and family turmoil. After a five-year absence, businessman Jayesh arrives in the vibrant Gujarati metropolis of Ahmedabad for a surprise visit to his once grand ancestral home, bringing with him his grown daughter Priya and some unexpected news for the family’s future. While Jayesh is greeted with suspicion by the family matriarch Ba, his widowed sister-in-law Sudha, and resentful nephew Chakku, Priya breaks free and begins a flirtation with an earnest young local named Bobby.

A southern Gothic family saga transposed to India, Patang weaves the intersecting narratives of its six characters into the lively bustle of the kite festival itself. As Priya wanders the streets among the revelry with a Super 8 camera, her footage too is incorporated into the film’s fabric, making first-time director Prashant Bhargava’s film a sumptuous experience of light, color and music, as the family comes to terms with its fractured past and fragile dreams. —Tribeca Film Festival

The storytelling is effortlessly made part of the hypnotically beautiful visuals, and woven into a kaledioscope of colors, faces, music and a little romance. Bhargava is masterful in the way he allows his story to emerge from his mosaic, instead of spelling it out by the numbers. Evokes the old and new Indias side by side as well as I've seen done. - Roger Ebert

Read the full review by Roger Ebert

Festivals: Mill Valley Film Festival; Chicago International Film Festival; Berlin Film Festival; Tribeca Film Festival; Jerusalem Film Festival; Monterrey International Film Festival; World Cinema Amsterdam; Milano Film Festival; ‎Vancouver International Film Festival

Awards: Halekulani Golden Orchid for Best Narrative Feature - Hawaii International Film Festival; Best Narrative Feature - DC APA FILM FESTIVAL