GRANDSTANDING THE BEST OF INDIAN CINEMA

India’s tryst with films is legendary and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) that is held every year in Panjim, Goa has been a trailblazer in celebrating the best of Indian cinema. Films have always played a crucial role in the Indian society. Cinema does not exist in isolation but reflects contemporary society, issues, and societal choices and concepts.

For many, Indian cinema is synonymous with Bollywood. However, in India, regional cinema representing the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of the country is thriving, popular and has a dedicated fan base of its own. IFFI has been a pioneer in showcasing and celebrating regional cinema too.

Actor Salman Khan performing at the opening ceremony of IFFI 52

Film festivals like the International Film Festival of India(IFFI) are a much-needed platform to showcase off-beat, experimental, subject-specific and independent films. IFFI aims at ‘providing a common platform for filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their talent and put forth the excellence of cinema from all over.’ The festival brings together diverse film cultures, encourages understanding of myriad socio-cultural ethos and appreciation of world cinema.

The history of film festival

The International Film Festival of India is held annually in India’s smallest state, Goa. The first edition of the festival was held in Mumbai from 24 January till 1 February 1952, organised by the Films Division of India (Government of India) under the patronage of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. In the first edition of IFFI, 23 countries participated with 40 feature films and hundred short films. India’s entry included Awara(Hindi), Patala Bhairavi (Telugu), Amar Bhoopali (Marathi) and Babla (Bengali). Later, the festival was taken to Madras, Delhi, Calcutta and Trivandrum.

It was only since 2004, with the festival’s 35 th edition, that Goa became the permanent venue of the festival, thanks to efforts by the former Chief Minister of Goa, late Manohar Parrikar. Organised jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Ministry) and Goa government’s Entertainment Society of Goa(ESG), IFFI is one of the oldest and biggest film festivals of Asia.

The journey over the years

Every year, since its inception, IFFI has done something new and unique. IFFI has also strived to screen interesting films and commemorate the works of filmmakers from all over. During the festival’s decades-long journey, many noted filmmakers and actors have been honoured for their contribution to the industry.

At IFFI 44, veteran Indian actor Waheeda Rehman was conferred with the first Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year in 2013. At IFFI 45, Superstar Rajnikanth was presented with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year at the inaugural ceremony. The next year, at IFFI 46, Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor was invited as the chief guest of the opening ceremony and the year after that several Bollywood celebrities joined the celebrations. These included Nana Patekar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Abbas Zafar, etc., who walked down the red carpet.

In 2017, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan were present in the star-studded event. At IFFI 49, the festival introduced a separate category & ‘State of Focus’ as a part of the festival and Jharkhand became the first Indian state to receive this focus. IFFI 2019 was the Golden Jubilee of the festival and was a special one, the 50th edition of IFFI was truly a special one where industry legends Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth were felicitated for their contribution to Arts and Cinema. IFFI 51 was held in the midst of India recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and was held in an experimental hybrid format.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh performing with wife Genelia D’Souza at IFFI 52

Celebrating women at IFFI’s 50 th edition

Every year, in November, Panjim, the capital city of India’s smallest state Goa, adorns a new avatar for the nine-day International Film Festival of India. The festival shines amidst the city’s Portuguese heritage, Fontainhas aka Latin Quarters, quiet cobbled lanes and magnificent casino boats docked in the calm Mandovi River. Year 2019 celebrated the 50th edition of IFFI that started in 1952 and to mark the occasion, the festival introduced several exciting features.

The 50 th edition of the International Film Festival of India, IFFI 2019, had a special focus on women- centric films. To commemorate fifty years of the festival, over 50 films from world cinema made by 50 strong women film-makers were showcased, a feat unmatched by any film festival around the world. The opening films of IFFI’s flagship section, the Indian Panorama section that showcases the best of contemporary Indian Feature and Non- Feature Films, included Hellaro (feature) and Nooreh (non-feature) as part of the festival in 2019.

During the golden jubilee edition, woman power was showcased as several women artists and filmmakers pitched in with ideas and concepts at conferences and panels across IFFI 2019. For instance, an all-women panel comprising Meghna Gulzar, Pooja Ladha Surti, Juhi Chaturvedi, Modhura Patil, Sumedha Verma Ojha discussed the ‘Nuances and Processes of Film-Making.’ Many films based on women, tackling issues affecting women and those made by women, from across the world and regional too, were screened under special film categories marking a huge leap in empowering women filmmakers.

Post-Covid, IFFI 52 and its many firsts

In November 2021, the 52 nd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began at Panjim, in a hybrid avatar.

Acclaimed lyricist and CBFC Chairman Prasoon Joshi receiving
an award at IFFI 52

IFFI 2021 or IFFI 52 was the first international event in Goa after the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown. Like always, the festival marked many firsts and gave the attendees myriad reasons to celebrate cinema. The nine-day festival started on 20 November 2021 and concluded on 28 November 2021.

For the first time in IFFI, the BRICS Film Festival was hosted alongside IFFI 52 with the screening of eight films. BRICS representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, People’s Republic of China and South Africa were present during the festival and were felicitated during the glam-packed closing ceremony on 28 November 2021. Additionally, for the first time in the history of IFFI, major OTT platforms Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, Voot and SonyLIV participated in the festival through exclusive Masterclasses, content launches and previews.

An aerial view of the IFFI venue

Despite the restrictions that were in place following the COVID-induced lockdown, IFFI 52 received 624 film entries from 96 countries. Director of the opening movie for Indian Panorama section (non-feature), Ved…The Visionary, Rajiv Prakash, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the jury and the audience. At IFFI 52, more than 3,000 delegates including film enthusiasts and industry personalities converged in Goa. The festival showcased more than 300 films including 148 films from about 73 countries in the International Section with about 12 world premieres, seven international premieres, 26 Asia premieres and about 64 India premieres.

Honouring cinema legends

The opening ceremony of IFFI 2021 was a grand ceremony hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Maniesh Paul. It was attended by the stalwarts of Indian cinema, government officials and cine enthusiasts. During the star-studded opening ceremony, Himachal Pradesh Governor Rajendra Arlekar and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur felicitated the jury members. Bollywood celebrities Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Shraddha Kapoor, Mouni Roy, Raashi Khanna, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza gave power-packed performances.

Speaking at the ceremony, Union Minister Anurag Thakur emphasised on making India a powerhouse of content creation. Veteran actor and Member of Parliament Hema Malini was awarded the Indian Film Personality of the Year 2021. Acclaimed Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó, known for Mephisto, and iconic Hollywood filmmaker Martin Scorsese were given the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Awards at IFFI 2021.

The 52 nd edition of the film festival coincided with Satyajit Ray’s birth centenary year. At IFFI 2021, it was decided that IFFI’s Lifetime Achievement Award received by thespians will henceforth be called the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Cinema from this year.

When Oscar-winning Hungarian filmmaker István Szabó received the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at IFFI 2021, he reminisced about the time, more than three decades ago, when he met with Satyajit Ray in what was then Madras. He spoke of how Ray had invited him for dinner where they had an “unforgettable and profound discussion.” He was exhilarated after receiving the award in the name of his ‘friend’.

When American filmmaker Martin Scorsese was conferred the award, he spoke of how Satyajit Ray had influenced him. He was extremely proud upon receiving the recognition and said Ray was one of his masters whose work he had returned to often over the years. Scorsese also mentioned how his love for Ray’s work began with Pather Panchali which was a “revelatory experience for someone growing up in the West.” The 52 nd edition of IFFI paid tribute to the legendary Indian filmmaker and physically screened several of his films throughout the festival.

Actor Hema Malini receiving the Indian Film Personality AwardActor Hema Malini receiving the Indian Film Personality Award

The IFFI 52 (also IFFI 2021) prop serves as a photo backdrop

Engaging discussions and masterclasses at IFFI 52

Apart from the screenings and red carpet appearances, the film festival also hosted several strategically-curated interactive sessions with industry experts. These discussions and sessions tackled pressing issues of the industry, ongoing trends and incisive analysis of the craft itself. In an In-Conversation session, ‘Creating Cult Icons: India’s own James Bond (007) with the Family Man’, the creators of the show spoke about the power of authentic story-telling and how powerful content drawn from real-life incidents is now getting acceptance among the new-age viewers.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee, who played the protagonist Srikant Tiwari, joined the discussion virtually. He spoke about how, at first, he could relate to the protagonist’s life being a middle- class person himself. The realism and authenticity of the character is what resounded with the viewers making it a popular character. The other actor of the show, Samantha Ruth Prabhu was, incidentally, the first South Indian actress to be invited as a speaker to the film festival.

In another discussion, film director Shoojit Sircar spoke about how he has been drawing from his personal experiences while making films. Several Masterclasses, held in physical and virtual formats, were held during the festival where filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, actor Hrithik Roshan, director Vajra Pancharia, etc. interacted with cinephiles and aspiring filmmakers.

Thespian actor Randhir Kapoor honoured at IFFI 52

Colourful umbrellas adorn the ceiling at a food plaza at IFFI 52

Special India@75 segment

As part of the ongoing celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence, the 52 nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) hosted a few niche segments. An interesting segment, called ‘India@75’ was hosted at IFFI 2021 that screened a string of 18 India-centric films showcasing India’s rich and diverse cinematic heritage. These films also included some from the Hindi film industry such as Airlift, Kabuliwala, Shree 420, etc.

Also, for the first time ever at IFFI, 75 creative young minds of tomorrow, representing GenNext cinema, attended the International Film Festival of India in Goa to learn and interact with the best minds of the film industry. The unique initiative was taken under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage and recognise young creative minds and budding talents in the country.

As part of the process, a Selection Jury had made a selection of 150 creative talents from out of the hundreds of entries and the Grand Jury selected the final 75 Creative Minds from these 150. The youngest candidate happens to be sixteen-year- old Aryan Khan from Bihar who has been chosen for his skills in Film Direction. The list of 75 aspiring artists includes many from India’s small towns and cities.

Actor Karthik Aryan at the ceremony
Actor Karthik Aryan at the ceremony

A film crew interacting with the media at IFFI

A team of a film at the Red Carpet posing for the media

Films tackling environmental issues

The International Film Festival of India has always featured sections to highlighting some pressing social issue of the time. Today, environmental degradation, climate change and ecological imbalance are threatening human existence. IFFI has been showcasing the works of filmmakers who have tackled these issues for awareness and education.

This year, several regional films were screened that have tackled a similar issue. Debutant director P. S. Vinothraj’s Tamil film Koozhangal (Pebbles) was screened at IFFI 2021 in the Indian Panorama (feature film) section. The plot of the film revolves around two arid hamlets in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. The region is marked by a harsh terrain – water scarcity, scorching heat and barren land. Ganapthy, an alcoholic, leaves with son Velu, in what becomes an arduous journey, to bring back his wife.

The father-son duo walks through the unforgiving land under the scorching sun. Nature’s wrath leads them to face their true emotions and the two are finally comforted by the ‘nurturing women.’ The film has also been chosen as India’s official entry for the 2022 Academy Awards in the international feature film category.

Another regional film, Praveen Krupakar’s Kannada-language film Taledanda had its World Premiere in the Indian Panorama (feature film) section at IFFI 52. Taledanda is the story of the Soliga tribals whose lives are affected by the ‘developmental’ activities and deforestation in the area. The protagonist is a mentally-challenged young man Kunna, played by late Sanchari Vijay, who is a passionate ‘nature lover’ and has a wealth of knowledge about trees and their medicinal value.

Felicitation of 75 Creative Young Minds at the Opening Ceremony of IFFI 52 at Panjim, Goa

The film shows how Kunna does everything he can to stop the cutting of trees in his village and in the end gives up his life.

The nine days of IFFI 2021 concluded with a glittering closing ceremony in the presence of noted film celebrities and government leaders such as Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Union Minister of I&B Anurag Thakur. During the closing ceremony, veteran actor Randhir Kapoor was felicitated for his contribution to Indian cinema, actor Madhuri Dixit was feted for her outstanding performances and actor Manoj Bajpayee’s contribution in films and OTT was recognised.

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Manu Shrivastava

Manu Shrivastava is a journalist and awyer with DraftCraft International and Co-Convenor of #TheWomanSurvivor, #MeTooAtHome and #MeTooBeyondBorders initiative
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