Best of the fests: From cinema to comedy, here's what you can do this weekend

Papon and Benny Dayal will be performing at the music fest

It's that time of the year again, when there's a slight nip in the air in the evenings and the city's cultural calendar is abuzz with a crackling line-up of festivals. Whether you want to swing to the music of your favourite musicians or immerse yourself in spoken verse, our festival guide for the weekend has got
you covered.

Park yourself for music

Catch some of the best musical minds of the country on one stage at the two-day Parx Music Fiesta in Thane. The line-up features the likes of Amit Trivedi, Papon, Euphoria, Indian Ocean, Salim-Sulaiman, When Chai Met Toast, Daira and Parvaaz, among others. The festival is also disabled-friendly, and promises wheelchair accessibility and other special provisions to ensure a good time for all. "People want to listen to different kinds of music under the same roof. A festival is like a live presentation of a personal playlist. I am really excited because everybody's [the performing musicians'] music is a part of somebody's playlist and when they all come under one roof, it is the most exciting thing," said Benny Dayal, who will be taking to the stage, too.

On: November 19 and 20; 2 pm onwards
At: Raymond Ground, Thane
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 1,199 onwards

From Russia, with love

A still from A Dog Named Palma

Now in its second edition, this is the first time that the Russian Film Festival will play out on ground in the city. With subtitles in Hindi and English, the festival is screening a slew of films from the transcontinental country, spanning different genres. It includes the comedy film Russian Peasant, directed by Klim Shipenko, which revolves around a wealthy businessman's attempt to reform his son, Grisha. Aleksey Govorukhin, executive producer of the Russian Film Festival, shared that the line-up offers something for everyone. "While putting together the programme of the festival, we wanted to show the richness of modern Russian cinematography, but at the same time, also show films where there is no violence or cruelty. Of course, action films and thrillers attract a lot of attention, but we wanted to first appeal to human values," the executive producer explains. Govorukhin's top picks include A Dog Named Palma, a sweet, touching movie about love and loyalty; Bolshoi, a drama about the famous Russian ballet; comedy flicks Son of the Rich and The Young Man; and the animated movie, Fixies vs. crabots. The festival will also offer cinephiles the chance to interact with film critic RJ Divya Solgama.
On: November 17 to 20; many time slots
At: Cinepolis, Andheri. log on to in.bookmyshow.com

It's a laugh riot

Alex Ward

Like food and clothing, every country has its own brand of humour. And when this humour travels all the way home, we relax and dip our toes into it. The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow will let city-dwellers laugh along with Australia's choicest stand-up comics and storytellers. With the smallest continent's largest laughter show coming to town, attendees will have a first-hand serving of hilarious sets by Dane Simpson and funny storytelling by Alex Ward. The show will be hosted by popular Indian comic Rahul Subramanian.
On: November 20; 8 pm
At: Above The Habitat, Khar West
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 399

Just be yourself

Mithila Palkar at a previous edition of Spoken Fest

The upcoming edition of Spoken Fest has one requirement that every attendee must fulfil - being themselves. With a vast and more varied line-up of artistes this year, the event is making up for its pandemic-induced on-ground absence in the past two years. Shantanu Anand, who handles public relations for Kommune - the creators of Spoken Fest - shares, "Before putting together this grand festival, we reached out to attendees from previous editions, asking them about their favourite memories associated with this get-together. The responses were heart-warming.

Attendees listen to a performer. Pics Courtesy/facebook

So we decided to retain bits and pieces of the previous editions just so people can relive those times, and introduced cultural activities for them to take home new discoveries." Look out for the Spoken Chaupal that will greet visitors. Just like the good ol' days, attendees will forge friendships and tactile connections around a mighty tree. Vir Das, Sumukhi Suresh, Srushti Tawade, Mithila Palkar and Anup Soni are some of the performers who will capture your attention in verse this year.
On: November 19 to 20 (gates open at 1 pm)
At: Jio World Garden, BKC, Bandra East
Log on to: insider.in
Cost: Rs 899