54th IFFI: Malayalam film opens Indian panorama

Bizarre rules by festival authorities and movie stars delaying film screenings upset cinephiles

Panaji: The second day of the 54th International Film Festival of India began with the opening films of Indian Panorama.

Helmed by theatre actors largely, the Malayalam film 'Aattam' by Anand Ekarshi was the opening film of Indian Panorama. The film is based around a theatre group — about a play performed by one woman and twelve men that receives international recognition. "The response has been fantastic. While shooting the film, we were not sure if people would be able to relate to it. But it was great looking at the response," said Zarin Shihab, the lead actor of the film. 

Salman Khan, Vijay Sethupathi, A R Rahman and Aditi Rao Hydari walked the red carpet for the screening of their films.

Stars delay film screening

Salman's late arrival at the red carpet for the film 'Farrey', delayed the screening by 45 minutes. It is directed by Soumendra Padhi. A R Rahman accompanied by Vijay Sethupathi and Aditi Rao Hydari too arrived late for the red carpet hence delaying the screening of their film, 'Gandhi Talks' directed by Kishor Pandurang Belekar. It was screened in the Gala premiere section. Cinephiles stood impatiently in the queue, while fans of the celebrities went berserk with excitement. 

"Water crisis"

Audiences at IFFI are not allowed to take water along with them inside the auditorium during the screening. When DH spoke to the general manager of the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) — the organisers in Goa — she said it was an INOX rule. But the Inox authorities said, "It was an IFFI rule". The organisers seem to have started a blame game. The audience was left puzzled as the security snatched bottles from them. "Set in a tropical coastal location, not allowing water inside the venue is ridiculous," said a doctor who was at the venue."

A cinema enthusiast from Bangalore found the rules bizarre. "The absolute shocker was not that they left us to the price points of the theatre with an 80 rupees water bottle, but even if you shelled that money and bought a bottle, you could not take it inside," she added.

Stalls extravaganza

An array of stalls opened at the old GMC palace that hosts the Inox and the iconic Maquinez Palace Theatre. NFDC Films Division has a stall selling CDs of some rare documentary films. Films like 'Rabindranath Tagore' by Satyajit Ray, 'Satyajit Ray', by Shyam Benegal, 'Babasaheb Ambedkar' by V Bhashyam, and 'A Journey into the Images of Adoor Gopalakrishnan' by Girish Kasaravalli, among others were on sale.

A booth by the Election Commission of India encouraging the youth to vote stood alone in a corner. The National Museum of Indian Cinema had a wide range of collectibles like magnets and keychains on display. Google Arts and Culture has an online exhibition on Hindi cinema.

In-conversations or film promotions? 

Film promotions in the guise of in-conversation sessions descended at IFFI on the second day. A conversation with the film team of 'Ae Watan Mere Watan' and Amazon, the film's streaming partner, was held at Kala Academy, Panaji. Karan Johar, Sara Ali Khan, director Kannan Iyer, Dharma Productions' Apoorva Mehta and Amazon's Head of Originals Aparna Purohit were a part of the discussion. 

Kannan Iyer revealed that the film is inspired by noted Gandhian Usha Ben Mehta, the freedom fighter who aired the Congress' secret radio. Kannan expressed his interest in history and said, "All chapters of history that showcase the fight against injustice are inspiring. However I may not have had the same interest in this story if the protagonist was male. Many stories have been told about men's glories," he added. Karan Johar spoke about the power of communication and how it can "move the masses".

Next in line was a session with the makers of 'The Archies', a feature film based on the Archies comics. The conversation was moderated by film critic Rajeev Masand and Zoya Akhtar, the director, Reema Kagti, the producer, Jon Goldwater, the CEO and Publisher of Archie Comics, Sharad Devarajan, founder & CEO of Graphic India and Liquid Comic, and Netflix's Ruchira Kapoor Sheikh were the speakers. 

The team spilled nostalgia as they recalled reading the Archies comics as kids. The best way to adapt the comic in India was to base it on a group of Anglo-Indians. That way they could even retain names. 

"We had to connect the 1960s to Gen Z, the Archies fans who are coming for nostalgia and to criticise and the ones who are not aware of Archies. That was the challenge," added Zoya. The team shot for 4-5 months in Ooty.

As the industry grapples with fewer people visiting the theatres, IFFI gives streaming services a platform to promote and create a brand at the festival.