On an uncharacteristically rainy November weekend, the 52nd edition of the International Indian
Film Festival was inaugurated. Like in any public event in the country, be it
for the domestic or international audience, there is always the possibility of
some extra drama which is always guaranteed. As this journalist walked in at 3
o’clock, it was astonishing to watch Ranveer Singh along with extras going
through their final practice session as guests continued to walk into the
stadium. But then that’s that.
An hour after the scheduled start set at
3.30 pm the hosts for the evening Manish Paul and Karan Johar took the stage.
It was an event packed with heavyweights from the world of politics and
entertainment. From I and B Minister Anurag Thakur, CM Pramod Sawant, Governor
PS Sreedharan Pillai to name a few and stars like Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh,
Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia Deshmukh, among others.
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It was an event filled with speeches by
politicians but it also had its very bright spots. Martin Scorsese and Istevan
Szabo were honored with the first ever Satyajit Ray Lifetime achievement award.
Both could not make it to the festival but sent their messages via video.
Martin paid tribute to the master Ray by saying he was one of the filmmakers whose
work he returned to over the years in his life. He said “My love for his work
began when I saw Pather Panchali, it was a revelatory experience for someone
growing up in the West. This was opening a whole new world to me. His use of
music was one of the most influential for me in my films. I actually found a
record of improvisations of Pather Panchali by Ravi Shankar and took it to my
parents at home in New York. They were working class people who had never heard
this kind of music before. They really enjoyed it,” he added. He went on to
say, “I keep his films with me all the time, and when I need to focus I go back
to them. I have all of them, some I haven’t even seen yet, there are so many….
One of the most impactful films I showed my daughter Francesca when she was 12
or 13 was Pather Panchali, and I know it changed the way she perceives the
world and different cultures. She is 22 now. So I thank you, Satyajit Ray and
the Indian film industry. I was only there in 1996; I would love to go back.”
The Hungarian master Istevan Szabo said he was deeply moved that
Indians knew his movies and some of them loved them. Reminiscing about his
meeting with Satyajit Ray, which took place more than 30 years ago in the then
Madras, he said “Ray invited me and my wife for dinner, which was excellent. We
had a fantastic discussion on his films and film-making, our profession. It was
a profound discussion that I will never forget. I also remember his radiant
charismatic face.”
Everyone learned that CM Pramod Sawant loved Sholay and amongst
the pictures shot in Goa, he enjoyed Singam and Ek Duje Ke liye. And yes the
three things he loved about Goa was the fact there was communal harmony, high
literacy rate and yes sun, sand and sea. When I and B Minister Anurag Thakur were
asked about his favourite filmy dialogue, he said it was the one said by
Sharukh Khan in Chakde India when the character he played said “I can’t hear
names of individual states, I can only hear the name of one country – India”.
As Hema Malini received her Indian Film Personality of the year
award she revealed in a film that played along that she felt the time she acted
was the golden age. Dancing she said was always very important to her and when
asked what her favorite role was she said each and every role she played was
important to her be it Sholay, Seeta aur Geeta or Lal Pathar.
Later of course in the evening Ranveer Singh showed everyone why
Bollywood has a hold over the masses while lip-syncing and dancing to various
hits through the ages. One may bemoan the primacy given to Bollywood over other
film industries in the country but then that sadly is the way it is.
Now
it’s time to watch the movies. Grab that popcorn and watch some great cinema
from Iran or Latin America or from nearby Sri Lanka.
