Bollywood eyes Dubai red carpet

Several Indian film stars, including Naseeruddin Shah, Mithun Chakraborty and Rahul Bose, will walk the red carpet at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) from December 9 to 16.

Veteran star Mithun Chakraborty will attend the screening of Story of the Red Hills, in which he plays a broken-hearted Bengali Chhou dancer, who finds a new lease of life on launching a dance ensemble.

Naseeruddin Shah will bring the World Premiere of his latest starrer, Shoot on Sight, a thriller in which he plays a Scotland Yard Inspector with divided loyalties investigating a fatal police shooting of an alleged terrorist. Co-star Laila Rouass will appear by Shah's side to promote the film.

Director Mira Nair's short narrative film about AIDS, Jaago will bring a veritable swarm of Indian cinematic talent to the DIFF Gala red carpet. In a joint effort between Nair's Mirabai films and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nair recruited four Indian directors for each segment of the film. Nair's segment, 'Migration', stars Shiney Ahuja, Raima Sen, Sameera Reddy and Irfan Khan. Both Nair and Raima Sen will be at the festival, as will Farhan Akhtar, who directed the segment called 'Positive', said a statement from the organisers.

Internationally acclaimed director and cinematographer Santosh Sivan brings Before the Rains, set in India in the 1930's against the backdrop of the growing nationalist movement. The film stars Rahul Bose in a conflict of loyalties between his village and his British boss. Bose will also be present at the function.

From Kerala, Director Adoor Gopalakrishnan and South Indian star Padma Priya will be present at the screening of their Naalu Pennungal (Four Women), dealing with the issue of matrimony in the lives of four women from different social classes. The revised international Director's Cut of film Taj Mahal will bring the great Kabir Bedi and ex-supermodel Pooja Batra, who star as Shah Jahan and his wife in the sprawling epic, one of the most expensive Indian films.

Co-star Manisha Koirala will also be present at DIFF, where the audience will be the first in the world to see the Director's Cut, introduced and discussed by Bedi himself with director Akbar Khan.