The 45th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) started off in Goa on Thursday in the towering presence of legendary actors Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley, Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
The 11-day event will screen 179 films from 75 countries in different categories — World Cinema (61 films), Masterstrokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films (6 films).
Fifteen films from across the globe, including two from India, are competing for the coveted Golden Peacock awards at the festival.
Speaking on the occasion, Bachchan said that a darkened cinema hall was one of the greatest examples of human integration in a world that was fast disintegrating.
“When we sit inside a darkened hall, we never ask the caste, creed, religion of the person sitting next to us ... In this fast disintegrating world of ours, where will you find such a better example of human integration, than a cinema hall?” Bachchan said at the end of an emotive, but informative presentation on the evolution of Indian cinema.
There was a thunderous applause as the actor recited a verse from his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s poem Himmat karne walon ki haar nahin hoti. He also made a strong case for Indian popular cinema, which he said, despite ridicule and criticism was finally making its way to the global arena.
Jaitley, who with Bachchan awarded the Centenary award for Film personality of the Year to Rajinikanth, said that while cricket is religion in India, cinema has been the country’s “alternative religion”.
“It entertains us, it educates us, it gives us various social perspectives. Young growing minds learn more from it, than even from formal methods of education. It throws up men and women of great talent,” said Jaitley.
The minister also said that the relatively newer phenomenon of corporatisation of the Indian film industry would hold it in good stead in the future.
“Our cinema industry has matured immensely. Commercially it has grown. The last decade has seen the corporatisation of industry ... this will make it professional,” Jaitley said.
Parrikar, who hails from Goa and was serving as the chief minister until a few weeks back, said that a new venue had been identified for the next year’s IFFI and expressed satisfaction at the central government’s decision to make Goa the permanent venue for the grand event.
Parsekar also said that his government would encourage people to set up film assistance units in the state so that the production needs of the several film crews, which come to Goa for shooting every year, could be taken care of.
The occasion’s last speaker, Rajinikanth, was brief and after thanking his “elder brother” Bachchan for presenting him the award, dedicated it to his producers, directors, technicians and his fans.
The President directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf opened the fest and The Grandmaster by Wong Kar-wai will be the closing film of the festival. Kar-wai will also receive the lifetime achievement award.
