12th Annual NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL
May 23-27, 2012
Pardoner’s Tale
Sunday, May 27, 2012, 3:30 pm, Theatre 2, Tribeca Cinemas.
Big in Bollywood Directed by Bill Bowles and Kenny Meehan
USA and India 2011. 69 mins. English / Hindi (with English subtitles)
Cast: Omi Vaidya, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Kevin Desmond, Raju-Kumar Hirani, Aamir Khan, R. Madevan, Nilesh rai, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Abhay Vaidya and Bharati Vaidya
27-year-old American-born Omi Vaidya, a struggling actor in L.A., miraculously lands a dream role in the Bollywood film "3 Idiots". Curious to better understand the world of Bollywood, four of Omi's buddies armed with cameras fly to Mumbai to document his big premiere. Within a week of release, "3 Idiots" skyrockets to box office success, becoming the most successful Indian film in history and transforming Omi into an overnight megastar. But being a national sensation in India is not all glitz and glamor. Aside from the language barrier, Omi struggles with the pressure of his newly acquired fame and continuing his career momentum while trying to maintain a healthy domestic life back in Los Angeles. Set against the backdrop of Mumbai, Big in Bollywood is a film about what it is to be successful in show business, seen through the eyes of Omi's best friends, who witness his career transformation firsthand.
Bill Bowles is currently working as field producer and lead cameraman for the upcoming Weather Channel series, "Lights Out". Recent projects include sailing to Easter Island as cameraman for the environmental research project, 5Gyres.org, and serving as Director of Photography 2D for the upcoming documentary film, Kumbh Mela 3D. He is the host and videographer for the National Geographic series, Mississippi River Quest, He has made a name for himself over the past few years as a traveling video blogger, uploading short films from Madagascar to Minnesota. Before that, he worked as Assistant Director for many years on a number of short films and music videos. He was Co-Artistic Director for the award-winning San Francisco based theater company, Rococo Risque. And he was part of the Art Department team for feature films like Memoirs of a Geisha, and Bee Season.
Kenny Meehan began making films at the age of 12 and has never stopped. He currently has his next feature documentary project in development, Drowning Tuvalu, and is finishing post-production on a narrative feature entitled Wrestling Mongolia which stars Tyler McNiven and Omi Vaidya. Also among Meehan's growing list of directing credits is the 2002 DV feature Stalemate which won the Rising Star Award at the Hollywood Underground Festival and the Audience Choice Award at the Santa Cruz International Film Festival. Meehan has also directed a number of music videos and commercials for VH-1 and Comedy Central. Always involved in his community Meehan co- developed the film department at the Riekes Center for Human Enhancement in Menlo Park, CA and continues to promote the importance, beauty, fun and global necessity of international interactions through his work.
With
Pardoner’s Tale by Himkar Tak Directed by: Himkar Tak
Cast: Skyler Pinkerton, David Lavine, Paul Coughlan
USA. 2012. 13 minutes. English
A modern adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer's short story: when three New York attorneys win a high profile case they encounter a number of the seven deadly sins.
American Filmmaker Himkar Tak holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU-Tisch. He has worked with director Mira Nair and writer/director Ramin Bahrani and recently was the highest recipient of the Jesse Tompkins III Grant for Young Artists. He is currently in development with an action/adventure epic that will be shot on location in the UK and India in 2013.
Bill Bowles is currently working as field producer and lead cameraman for the upcoming Weather Channel series, "Lights Out". Recent projects include sailing to Easter Island as cameraman for the environmental research project, 5Gyres.org, and serving as Director of Photography 2D for the upcoming documentary film, Kumbh Mela 3D. He is the host and videographer for the National Geographic series, Mississippi River Quest, He has made a name for himself over the past few years as a traveling video blogger, uploading short films from Madagascar to Minnesota. Before that, he worked as Assistant Director for many years on a number of short films and music videos. He was Co-Artistic Director for the award-winning San Francisco based theater company, Rococo Risque. And he was part of the Art Department team for feature films like Memoirs of a Geisha, and Bee Season. 
American Filmmaker Himkar Tak holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU-Tisch. He has worked with director Mira Nair and writer/director Ramin Bahrani and recently was the highest recipient of the Jesse Tompkins III Grant for Young Artists. He is currently in development with an action/adventure epic that will be shot on location in the UK and India in 2013.