Immerse in this three-day festival that celebrates French noir in Mumbai

A three-day print and film rendezvous in the city guides participants into the shadows of the dark genre

The impact of film noir on cinema in this city is indisputable. Whether it’s CID (1956), which opens with a montage of hands clutching telephones and silhouetted figures whispering “It’s me,” or the way Guru Dutt’s directorial, Pyaasa (1957) plays with shadows and light to intensify the mystery of the plot and evoke fear, pain, and suspense in its characters, noir as a style has had a longstanding presence in the city. The return of the second edition of Noir in Mumbai, a celebration of the legacy of French noir literature and cinema, takes on added significance given the deep roots the genre has in France, where the term was coined in the 1940s.

Participants solve clues during an investigation last year

The event, which is modelled on Quais du Polar — an annual crime fiction festival that takes place in Lyon — is organised by Alliance Française de Bombay (AF Bombay) and The French Institute in India. “Last year, we had a footfall of over a thousand people. This year, with the star attraction of author Michel Bussi, we are sure to kindle the interest of literary and cultural enthusiasts in the city,” shares Stephane Doutrelant, executive director at AF Bombay.

Bussi, known for his crime-fiction classics such as After The Crash and Black Water Lilies, interacted with enthusiasts in the city yesterday at a screening of The Other Mother, a film based on his novel, Maman A Tort, and is now gearing up for a long list of events in the city. The author, who will discuss the art of writing a thriller at a bookstore in the city tomorrow, shares, “I am looking forward to talking about my latest novel, Trois vies par semaine, and the international success of French crime fiction. I’ll also be talking about the themes that are dear to me like the construction of a plot and how to develop a social universe and a specific geographical setting.”

Stephane Doutrelant

Elaborating on his idea that noir is a universal genre that transcends cultures, he explains, “Crime novels often take you on a journey.  Many of them take place in faraway lands or islands. The Himalayas, for example, are settings for my novel Nouvelle Babel. I have met readers from other parts of Asia, but this is my first visit to India. I hope to get the message across that crime fiction is a gateway to literature, especially for young people who are not necessarily used to reading. And it allows us to think about the world in its globality.”

Doutrelant reveals that the festival will conclude on Sunday with an enticing experience for mystery aficionados called Urban Investigation, a game that will take the participants through the narrow alleys of Fort. Participants stand a chance to win two tickets to Paris. “The game is our attempt to introduce people to some of the iconic spots of Mumbai in an engaging way, while also throwing light on the shared history between France and India,” he concludes.

Till: Tomorrow; 10 am onwards
At: Title Waves, Bandra; NCPA, Nariman Point; Alliance Française de Bombay, Churchgate
Log on to: bombay.afindia.org and insider.in (for registrations)

Top French noir picks

Books:
>> Bleeding 
>> The Refugee 
>> The Arsène Lupin Collection 

Films:
>> The Snowpiercer
>> Mama Weed

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