The Hindu : National : Turnout spells success for IFFI

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Saturday, Dec 03, 2005

National

National

Turnout spells success for IFFI

Sudhish Kamath

Despite some chaos, the festival is a huge hit

PANAJI: The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here has the halls brimming with movie buffs, despite some chaos, confusion and controversies regarding poor scheduling and restrictions on mediapersons bringing cameras into the venue.

Indeed, it is a huge hit. People are queuing up two hours before the premieres and an hour earlier for other foreign films.

For the 6 p.m. premiere of Apaharan on Wednesday, the crowds queued up from 4 p.m., in spite of it being screened in two halls of the multiplex. So, when stars Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu and director Prakash Jha showed up at 6.45 p.m., owing to a flight delay, the audience was angry. Packed to the aisles, they lashed out at the stars, forcing them to make a quick exit and end abruptly the presentation ceremony. The film, which tries to document the kidnapping industry in Bihar, met with a lukewarm response after the screening began on that sour note.

The premiere of Blue Umbrella earlier was received warmly in the presence of writer Ruskin Bond and director Vishal Bharadwaj. "Ruskin saab has never been into a movie hall for 20 years. So I am curious to know what he thinks of the film based on his story," Vishal said before the screening. "It was a moving experience," said Ruskin Bond after the movie, much to the relief of the director. The simple tale brought back memories of Malgudi Days to many with its feel-good story-telling and authentic rural imagery.

Pick of premieres

Rahul Dholakia's Parzania was the pick of the premieres. It drew both critical and popular acclaim with outstanding performances by Naseeruddin Shah and Sarika. This powerful film on communal violence in Gujarat following the Godhra incident is based on a true story of a boy who went missing during the riots.

Should a film on such a sensitive issue be made, the director was asked. "Have you heard of gangrene? If you ignore it, it could kill you," replied Rahul as the crowd clapped. When a couple of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supporters accused the director of making a film showcasing violence only by Hindu fanatics, the director replied: "If I was making a film on 9/11, I would have shown Muslim fundamentalists. But this one's on Gujarat." The crowd booed the RSS supporters away and gave the filmmaker another bout of applause. Actor Om Puri came to the support of the director by asking the dissenters: "Have you seen Tamas?"

Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal was received with much warmth as a section of the crowd rose to clap. The director introduced the star of the film Shreyas Talpade and the rest of his crew to a hall packed to the brim.

If turnout is the only yardstick by which success is measured, IFFI, only in its second year at the permanent venue in Goa, is a clear winner.

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