Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan inaugurated the 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) over the weekend.
The event, which also had stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Kamal Haasan in attendance, saw Indian National Award-winning filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt use the platform to appeal to storytellers to retain originality, saying: “[The] lifeblood of entertainment is the right to free speech”.
Speaking at the event, Bachchan talked about inclusivity without sectarian barriers, saying: “Since time immemorial, music and songs in Indian films have found its strength, its voice in our cinema. It has embraced the spirit of unity in diversity, encouraged secular, patriotic and social ideas, showcased India’s wonderful culture and given us our unique identity.”
Tracing the influences of regional music in Indian cinema, the 75-year-old actor added: “Often, Hindi films have emphasised democratic values of equality and freedom. The first patriotic ballad that took the country by storm was the superhit number ‘Door haton duniya walon Hindustan hamara hai’ (Go away world, India is ours) from the Ashok Kumar starrer Kismat way back in 1943 when such tracks were banned by the British Raj.”
Citing examples from the works of Sahir Ludhianvi and Javed Akhtar, the actor lauded the “continued inclusiveness” of the film industry “without sectarian barriers”.
“This then, is the true spirit of India. the abiding lessons of our culture where humanity and empathy reign supreme, where love for our fellowmen and respect for all religions are the many-splendoured threads that weave our priorities without prejudice,” he added.
Bhatt also took to the podium to say: “Stories can either bring us together or throw us apart. It is very important that storytellers retain the right to be story busters because power centres insist that they put weight on us and make us tell their story. We must fight them and retain our originality and see the world and interpret the world as we experience them for that is the right lifeblood of entertainment is the right to free speech and our founding fathers have given us that. Let us never never lose that.”
The festival will screen an assemblage of 143 films spanning 53 countries under 16 different categories until November 17.
