The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is a lot like Anil Kapoor. Its pretensions to international stature don’t quite square with reality. The two of them belong to the same generation too: IFFI is 67; Kapoor, a little younger, at 59. There is no other reasonable reason for him to be the chief guest this year, although he gave intimations of how tired both their acts have become as he danced to the 1989 song Mera Naam Hai Lakhan at the opening ceremony, amid green props and garish purple smoke that seemed to have been dragged out of the attic of some forgotten theatre troupe.
It was in 2004 that the IFFI pitched its tent in Goa, with the Mandovi girdling the venues in Panjim, but this time the babus made sure that they blocked the beautiful, cobalt-blue view of the river by meticulously placing white panels along the promenade. The highbrow culturati were denied an easy glimpse of the floating casinos on the Mandovi: the Deltin Royale and the Casino Pride 2. Shekhar Kapur, who heads this year's international jury, said he was always convinced that Goa, “a place I love”, was ideal to host the IFFI: he recommended it to Arun Jaitley when he was a minister of state for Information and Broadcasting in the Vajpayee Government, “15-16 years ago”. But Kapur credits Manohar Parrikar for it, the then Chief Minister of goa who shared his enthusiasm for the IFFI-on-the-Mandovi dream.
Twelve years is a long time for a festival to find its feet. But IFFI in Goa is neither national nor international. It does not get the best of world movies, the crowd-pullers that could draw a film lover from under a rock in some corner of the country, nor does it get a thumbs-up from the country’s young filmmakers, many of whom remain suspicious of the Government-run festival’s politics and designs.
Denne historien er fra December 7, 2015-utgaven av Open.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 7, 2015-utgaven av Open.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Can Therapy Break The Taboo Of Hypersexuality?
Can therapy break the taboo of hypersexuality?
Afghanistan: Waiting For A New Life
Ravaged by war, terror and bad politics, Afghanistan is waiting for a new life after the withdrawal of American troops.
Grand Opening Of Dance Bars, Are The Girls Excited?
Following a Supreme Court order, Mumbais dance bars are preparing for a grand opening. Are the girls equally excited?
Discovery Of Colonial India
Lord Hastings 1814 journey from Calcutta to Punjab with painter Sita Ram is a discovery of Colonial India through lives mundane and magical.
Imtiaz Ali: Auteur In Love
Imtiaz Ali's new film too is a celebration of desire and longing. The filmmaker in conversation with Divya Unny.
Athleisure, A Lifestyle Trend Of This Decade
As the defining lifestyle trend of this decade, athleisure has changed the way we dress, appear, move and feel.
Hate Wave In Communal India
Provocative clerics, frenzied mobs and the widening fault lines of communal India.
Delhi Government: Getting Even With The Odd Chief Minister
A righteous Kejriwal makes the governance of Delhi all about one man’s whims and paranoia.
India’s Cricket Prodigies: Who Will Stay Like Tendulkar?
India’s cricket prodigies today are luckier than their predecessors, but who will stay the distance like Tendulkar?
Dating Apps: A Sexual Revolution
As the dating app sets up office in India, its first ever outside the US, Lhendup G Bhutia signs on to see what the fuss is all about. He comes out unwanted.