PANJIM: Veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy inaugurated the 47th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on Sunday, which will showcase 300 films from 90 countries over the next eight days in Goa. For the first time, IFFI will have a special screening for the visually impaired viewers.
The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu in his half-an-hour-long inaugural speech spared no words to denounce “vulgarity, violence, double-meaning” in recent Indian Cinema which he said was “hurting the society.” He also raised serious concern about the way women were portrayed in the recent past.
The host of celebrities, including Sushant Singh Rajput, who shot to fame with MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Padma Shri recipient, veteran singer S P Balasubhramanyam, renowned director Gautam Ghose, Bengal’s superstar Prosenjit, legendary actor Nana Patekar, actor Mukesh Khanna were present at the inaugural function held at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium on Sunday evening. The inauguration also highlighted women’s contribution to Indian cinema over the decades.
“Women will take over the film industry very soon. We need to support them,” Sippy said hailing the growth of women’s contribution to the cinema since its inception.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Union Minister for State for AYUSH Shripad Naik and State Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar were also present for the gala inauguration, which was attended by more than 10,000 people.
Balasubhramanyam was honoured with the Centenary award, while Korean film-maker Im Kwon-Teak was bestowed with Life Time Achievement award at IFFI 2016. South Korea is the country focus of 47th edition of IFFI.
Addressing the gathering, Naidu said cinema should reflect larger social concerns besides focusing on entertainment only.
Coming down heavily on the content of Indian cinema in the recent years, Naidu said obscenity, vulgarity, violence, double-meaning words had ruled the scripts. “Creativity, reality, humanistic touch and approach, sensitivity towards reality, gender justice, respect for elders should be a part of the cinema. Cinema has to be a reflection of the society. That is my appeal to the cinema makers,” Naidu said.
“I am not here to give you advice. If you go by the advice of the government and make cinema you will never succeed. Cinema has to be cinema…but cinema must also convey a message,” he commented.
Naidu briefly reflected on the course of evolution of cinema in India and where it was headed today. “We have to think about it seriously. Time has come for all of us to go back to our values. There are so many films without violence, vulgarity. But still these films were commercially successful,” he said.
“We should decide whether we want our cinema to be means of cheap entertainemt without any social concern. It has not been so in the past.. our cinema needs to have a larger social responsibility.. In a country like India, with several social problem, cinema has emerged as a powerful medium,” he said.
Naidu said cinema today is a powerful medium to spread ideas and concepts. He urged the filmmakers to ensure that cinema should preserve our culture, heritage and tradition.
“You can influence people. Without touching a heroine you can create the magic of romance. You need to have the capacity to express. Expression need not be by words it can be through looks and facial expressions,” he said.
The minister hailed films like Three Idiots, PK, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Munnabhai MBBS, Who killed Jasica Lal. He said these flicks delivered a message to the society.
“Cinema needs to have a strong storyline and proper treatment to touch the hearts of cinegoers. Music, dialogue are additional points. We have to seek inspiration from the legends of the film world,” he said.
Polish drama film “Afterimage” (2016) directed by Andrzej Wajda was the first exhibition at this year’s IFFI.
With the Republic of Korea being the country focus, a total of 18 movies from the country would be screened during the event.
