Grand welcome for Aamir Khan-Kiran Rao at Berlin film festival

It was a proud moment for India yesterday at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival, as Aamir Khan and his wife Kiran Rao got a warm welcome on the red carpet at the Berlinale Palast on opening night.

The festival runs from February 10-20, 2011. The other jury members are Isabella Rossellini, Jafar Panahi (in absentia, as he has been imprisoned by the Iranian government), Guy Maddin, Jan Chapman, Nina Hoss and Sandy Powell.

Khan was dressed in classic black and white, and Rao in an elegant white and gold dress. But Khan posed for his formal ‘festival portrait’ wearing, in addition to his white shirt, faded blue jeans and beard, a pair of silver Lagaan earrings.

India makes surprise moves at the Berlinale this year. Vishal Bhardwaj premieres his Saat Khoon Maaf in the Panorama section, director Q (Kaushik Mukherjee) presents Gandu, also in Panorama, while Prashant Bhargava shows Patang in the International Forum of New Cinema.

Saat Khoon Maaf promises to be a surprise packet. Speaking of his film, Bhardwaj said, “I’ve been a bit more courageous this time. I’ve really pushed the envelope and crossed boundaries in terms of the expression and statements that the film makes.”

The film, starring Priyanka Chopra and John Abraham, is about a woman who marries seven times and kills all her husbands.

Gandu is a sexually explicit Bengali rap film about the friendship between Gandu and Riksha, two no-hopers who bond over rap, coke and porn.

Patang is about a troubled family reunion during the annual kite festival in Ahmedabad, stylishly photographed by Shanker Raman of Frozen and Harud fame. Raman said, “I’m also pleased to be here participating in the Berlinale Talent Campus.”