Wassup! Andheri – Back and Bigger!

Mumbai’s very own cultural festival for the suburbs

returns for its second edition

First up, the length of the festival is longer this time, owing to public demand and Wassup! Andheri will now be held over four days – beginning from February 28, 2013 and going up to March 3, 2013. It moves to a larger, more characteristic location too, the Chitrakoot Grounds in the heart of Andheri West.

The four days of “Wassup!” organized by F5 Advertainment, will give aspirants of every art form an opportunity to interact and connect with the biggies of the industry. Stalwarts like Sudhir Mishra, Anurag Basu, Vikramaditya Motwani, Vikas Bahl, Sanjay Chauhan, Rajat Kapoor, Adhuna Akthar, Niharika Khan, Joy Datta, Mukesh Chhabra, Arzan Khambatta & Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi and several others  would take the stage and share what’s new with the crowd this year. 

That said, it is the itinerary packed in by promoters F5 Advertainment that’s the newsmaker again this year. From performing arts and fashion to literature and music, the Wassup! 2013 calendar has reinvented itself already, while keeping its motto of ‘entertainment for all ages’ intact. This second edition, the list of events expands too, with workshops, street plays, readings and innovative acts.

Some of the interesting workshops / master class in the film and television category are as follows:

·  Short Film Making Competition: Award Winning Directors Anurag Basu & Vikramaditya Motwane will select and guide 16 short listed contestants out of multiple entries and mentor them to make short films. The winners will get a chance to assist the film makers in their forthcoming projects.

·  Movie Screening: Watch the epic film “Harishchandra Chi Factory” depicting the struggle of Dadasaheb Phalke in the making of ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in 1913: India’s first feature film that gave birth to Indian cinema, followed by a Panel Discussion with some of the film’s cast.

·  “Warrior Women’ by Adhuna Akhtar – Adhuna Akhtar and Team b:blunt present an evening of spectacular hairdressing display for the fierce women of today. Hairdressing being the fastest growing industry, they are proud to be right at the cutting edge to give you that edge in your personality.

·  Casting C’ouch’ – Renowned Casting Director of Bollywood Blockbusters like Rockstar, Love Aaj Kal, Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 is here at Wassup! Andheri to talk about the process and nuances of Casting

·  Master Class with Rajat Kapoor – Winner of three National Awards, Rajat Kapoor is here to conduct a Master Class from rehearsal to stage with Shakespeare! Drama in the making

·  In Conversation with: Renowned Film Personality Sudhir Mishra talks to film maker Jaideep Verma about Cinema through his lens.

·  Master Class with Pankaj Awasti – A critically acclaimed Bollywood singer & composer will, along with his band, leave the audience spellbound & wanting for more.

·  Panne se Parde tak – One of the nation’s most prominent & well acclaimed film director & script writer, Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi, best known for directing the television epic Chanakya, will share his journey from Novels to Films with Ajay Bramhatmaj, prominent film scholar and journalist .

·  The Next Big Star! – Being in Andheri, how could we miss out on this! Renowned Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra himself will take live auditions for some of his upcoming Bollywood projects. 

And to make an impact as powerful as the debut edition, the organisers have roped in a host of celebrities, experts and known names –most of them locals who’ve made it large in their respective fields – to participate and advise on the themes and content of the event. No doubt that the festival will have cross-disciplinary events and a 360-degree view of Mumbai and India, albeit with the suburban perspective of Andheri.