The restored Teesri Kasam will open the inaugural Indian Film Festival of New Zealand (TIFFNZ), with Waheeda Rehman set to attend the festival’s opening ceremony in Auckland on October 22.
The 1966 classic, directed by Basu Bhattacharya and starring Rehman and Raj Kapoor, was recently restored by the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) and the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Rehman is expected to watch the restored film at the festival, which will run across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch from October 23 to 25.
“Teesri Kasam is a film very close to my heart,” Rehman said in a statement, adding that she was pleased it would introduce a new generation of New Zealand audiences to the film’s story and poetry.
The festival has announced a programme of 30 screenings, comprising 10 features, 16 shorts and four special screenings, alongside industry panels, post-screening Q&As, networking events and an awards evening. Its programme spans multiple Indian languages and also includes a silent film.
Equally significant is the festival’s other major restoration title, Pakeezah, which will close the event. The 1972 classic was restored by the Film Heritage Foundation under its founder and director, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. TIFFNZ says the screening will make it only the second festival in the world to show the restored film.
The launch is significant primarily as a new platform for Indian cinema and cultural exchange in New Zealand, rather than as a major international festival selection. Its emphasis is on connecting Indian films, filmmakers and audiences across New Zealand while bringing restored Indian classics to audiences who may not have previously encountered them on the big screen.
