'Angry Indian Goddesses' wins runner-up award at TIFF

Indian director Pan Nalin's film "Angry Indian Goddesses", a story about a group of Indian girls in Goa gone wild, has been voted as the first runner-up at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) which concluded here on Sunday.

A huge cheer went up when TIFF creative directive Cameron Bailey announced the name of "Angry Indian Goddesses" as the first runner-up for the Grolsch People's Choice Award at this year's festival.

Of the seven girls in the film, Sandhya Mridul and Rajshri Deshpande, who were present in the audience, shouted with joy at the announcement of the award for the film.

Toronto film festival CEO Piers Handling said tongue-in-cheek that he hopped "Angry Indian Goddesses" as the audience clapped for the Indian film.

"When we started this film, we never expected it anything. We were not even sure whether or when we will complete it. We are so excited now," said Sandhya.

Sandhya said her experience in the communications field stood her in good stead in playing her role in the film.

"We shot the film in 40 to 45 days... mostly in Goa and some in Mumbai," she said.

Rajshri, who plays the role of housemaid Lakshmi in the film, said: "We had great fun doing this film, and we are happy that the audiences at TIFF have liked our film. Hopefully, the film will go on to do will when it opens in India."

"Angry Indian Goddesses" is a powerful portrayal of new girl power in contemporary Indian society -- the girls who want to have fun, the girls who are uninhibited.

As this group of girls gathers in Goa to join in the wedding of their college friend Freida (played by Sarah Jane Dias), they have fun, they discuss sex, they discuss boyfriends, they discuss everything. But there is a hitch -- Freida won't reveal who the groom is.

On the night of the wedding, the girls' party takes amazing turns and twists. And in the hands of award-winning director Pan Nalin, the film has such an emphatic finale.

Indeed, "Angry Indian Goddesses" is a powerful portrayal of new girl power in Indian society -- or women empowerment, so to speak.

Also, Lenny Abrahamson's poignant movie "Room", that talks about the captivity of a young woman but told so movingly through her little son born to her in captivity, won the People's Choice Award at TIFF.