PANJIM: Neither can you keep Amitabh Bachchan away from the International Film Festival of India, nor can you keep the Kala Academy out of it.
Goa’s iconic structure Kala Academy, which has been in the news over its weak structural stability, will be resurrected to screen movies for film buffs as IFFI unrolls on Wednesday.
The nine days’ event will have its first screening at the Dinanath Mangueshkar hall an hour after megastar and B-town veteran Bachchan inaugurates the golden jubilee edition of the festival at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium.
“Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will inaugurate IFFI in presence of superstar Rajnikant. Director Karan Johar will host the program. The first movie will be screened at Kala Academy at 7pm,” Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on the eve of the festival.
Kala Academy has been the major venue of the IFFI ever since it was shifted to Goa in 2004. Goa eventually became a permanent venue, whilst the controversy surrounding Kala Academy emerged when its open-air auditorium’s demolition news surfaced a couple of months ago.
With the High Court of Bombay at Goa is taking suo motu cognisance of a news report and closely monitoring the government’s move in this regard, the State on Monday – two days before the launch of the festival – informed the High Court bench that the structure will be handed over to IFFI organisers during the annual event scheduled from November 20-28.
During a series of hearings, the government also emphasised that it has not taken a final decision on Kala Academy’s demolition but repairs are underway.
Asked on the purported decline in delegate registration, Entertainment Society of Goa’s Chief Executive Officer Amit Satija claimed that there has been 35 per cent increase in delegates and registration is open till the conclusion of the ceremony.
On the expenditure incurred, the Chief Minister revealed that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has borne around Rs 22-23 crore, while the State government’s share is around Rs 18 crore.
