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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Indo-American Arts Council Holds Successful Annual Gala T he Indo American Arts Council (iaac.us ) held its Annual Gala at the Union League Club in New York City October 26, 2025. Among the special attendees was India’s Consul General in NewYork Binaya Srikanta Pradhan. “I am delighted to share that it was a superb evening, made all the more meaningful by the presence and support of our generous donors and patrons!” said Executive Director Suman Gollamudi in an email to media and supporters. “Together, we celebrated excellence, creativity, and connection,” Gollamudi added. To Indian American leaders were recognized this year as 2025 IAAC Gala Honorees: Jyoti Menon, a seasoned financial- services executive and community servant whose leadership continues to empower many. In a brief bio provided on Menon on its program highlights, IAAC said Menon, “has a proven track record of delivering next-generation digital solutions that elevate customer experiences, drive rev- enue growth, and streamline operations across global and diverse markets” She is the Vice President of Bread Financial. In 2024, she was recognized among the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Busi- ness Award. She is also on the Board of several important organizations, includ- ing Barnard College Board of Trustees, the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, and the Board of IAAC. Deepak Raj, a philanthropy-visionary and advocate strengthening the Indian- American community through transfor- mational giving. Raj spent many years onWall Street. He is the founder of The Raj Family Founda- tion which focuses on his wide-ranging philanthropic activities, particularly those affecting India and Indian Americans. He is Chairman of the India Philanthropy Alli- ance, former Chairman of Pratham USA. He and his wife Neera established the Deepak and Neera Raj Center on Indian Economic Policies under the auspices of the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. In 2015, he co-founded Indian American Impact which aims to harness the potential of the community in public service. The evening also featured a special per- formance by musicians from the Berklee India Exchange, who brought a blend of Indian and global musical traditions to the stage. BIX is a global arts institute at Berklee College of Music that champions Indian and South Asian artistry through education, performance, and innovation, and has a track record of high-impact pro- ductions, a Grammy nominated album, and international collaborations. The IAAC thanked contributors for helping “make this evening not only a celebration, but a reaffirmation of IAAC’s mission: to promote, showcase, and build awareness of the arts and artists of Indian heritage across the United States.” A silent auction was among the efforts to bring in funds that would enable IAAC to continue its mission. It invited sup- porters to continue their commitment through this silent auction on Givergy. The IAAC invited supporters to con- tinue thieir support through the silent auction hosted on Givergy — a curated online auction of exclusive art pieces, experiences, and collectibles whose pro- ceeds benefit IAAC’s year-round program- ming. The Silent Auction items range from an 18K Gold OM Pendant from Jewel Joy to a Double Room for 2 nights/3 days in Varanasi. By a StaffWriter PHOTOS: IAAC Jyoti Menon being honored at IAAC Gala October 26, 2025, in NYC. Berklee India Exchange performing fusion music at the October 26, 2025 Annual Gala of IAAC, in NYC. Deepak Raj being honored by IAAC at Annual Gala October 26, 2025. From Prison To Palme D’or: Jafar Panahi’s Quiet Uprising In “It Was Just An Accident” M egha Majumdar’s “A Guardian and a Thief” is such an anxious book that even when you finally put it down, you’ll hear it sitting there on the shelf, panting. A finalist for this year’s Na- tional Book Award in fiction, it’s a perfect short novel: 200 pages of tightly honed panic about life in a collapsing society. The film ItWas Just an Accident by Jafar Pana- hi confronts a deeply unsettling moral dilemma: when life gives you a chance for retribution, is it right to seize it — or does the very act of enact- ing justice turn you into what you condemn? At heart, this is a psychological dialogue between the impulses of the heart and the logic of the mind, set against the backdrop of systemic oppression. We meet a man who once suffered at the hands of a brutal prison guard — physically beaten, emotion- ally scarred, bearing visible and invisible wounds. Now working as a car mechanic, his life appears quiet. But the past is not done with him: when the former guard’s car breaks down in his garage, the mechanic seizes his moment. He kidnaps the limping man who might be the one who tortured him, though doubt lingers: for others, the tell-tale signs are smell, face, feel. A group of fellow victims converge — some thirsting for revenge, others re- luctant to embrace violence — and the tension coalesces into a final reckoning: what will they decide? And in the end, how will his choice serve or betray his own sense of healing? What elevates the film beyond a simple revenge thriller is its layered context: it is embedded in the Iranian experience of state violence and the silenced stories of victims. Panahi himself has endured years of bans, ar- rests, and travel restrictions for his filmmaking. The film becomes both a revenge narrative and a document of survival and resistance. Its low-budget feel and restrained style do not undermine its power — rather, they under- score it. The narrative tells rather than shows in conventional ways, inviting the viewer to inhabit the space of memory, suspicion, and trauma. In terms of its journey, the film premiered in competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2025, and took home the prestigious Palme d’Or. The U.S. distributor Neon released it theatrically on October 15, 2025, giving American audiences access to this Iranian auteur’s bold new work. Festival screenings in North America included the Toronto International Film Festival and NewYork appearances, helping amplify its acclaim. Ultimately, ItWas Just an Accident stands as an arthouse thriller rooted in the morality of vengeance and the quiet dignity of suffering. It asks: when the system fails to deliver justice, what becomes of the individuals left behind? And when they take matters into their own hands, do they heal — or do they become entangled in the same cycles of violence they sought to escape? The film is steeped in Iranian trauma, yet its questions are universal — about power, pain, identity, and the deli- cate architecture of forgiveness. Director: Jafar Panahi Cast: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF04v- ze2Yc IG: @NeonRated Reviewed by Nidhi Kathuria, Sara Jahan Films PHOTO:YOUTUBE GRAB Entertainment News India Times (November 8, 2025 - November 14, 2025) November 14, 2025 27