Taika Waititi gushes about 'Pather Panchali,' Remo D'Souza's 'ABCD'
Renowned director Taika Waititi, celebrated for his distinct blend of humor and heartfelt storytelling, recently revealed his favorite Indian films. The director, who isn't new to watching Indian cinema, cited two films that are dear to him. Among these is a Satyajit Ray movie that served as an inspiration to him in his early days of directing.
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The director has earned global recognition with movies such as What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. He also took home an Academy Award in 2020 for Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, which he both directed and starred in. Waititi's last directorial project was 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder, a sequel to Thor: Ragnarok.
Waititi on Ray's 'Pather Panchali'
In an interview with India Today, Waititi applauded Ray's 1955 debut film Pather Panchali, stating, "It was beautiful and very inspirational when I was making my early films." Starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee, and Karuna Banerjee, among others, the National Film Award-winning Bengali movie won many honors and accolades, including Best Human Document at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956.
Waititi recommended everyone to watch 'ABCD'
Besides Pather Panchali, Waititi also expressed his appreciation for Remo D'Souza's 2013 movie ABCD: Any Body Can Dance. He remarked, "Next is the fabulous ABCD, which is a fantastic big film which I think everyone should watch." The dance film featured a star-studded cast, including Kay Kay Menon, Prabhu Deva, Lauren Gottlieb, Dharmesh, Salman Yusuff Khan, and Punit Pathak. Its sequel, starring Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor was released in theaters in 2015.
Waititi's 'Next Goal Wins' set for release
Waititi's latest project, Next Goal Wins, is slated for release in India on Friday. This sports comedy-drama is based on the 2014 documentary of the same title, chronicling the American Samoa national football team's journey. Known as one of the world's weakest football teams, the story follows their quest for improvement and competing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
