What are masala films doing at festivals?

In 1964, during the screening of the inaugural film 'Haqeeqat' at the first competitive International Film Festival at New Delhi, President Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan had a great time, enjoying it thoroughly. Never before had a president witnessed an entire screening at the inauguration of a film festival.

The chief of the visiting British film delegation walked up to greet director Chetan Anand. Making a special mention of the film’s new heroine Priya Rajvans, he confessed if she was in England or Hollywood, they could have created another Greta Garbo out of her.

Last year, the India International Film Festival at Goa was all about glitz, and glamour. There were enthusiastic viewers, film personalities, and media people, running from one corner to the other. They took selfies, enjoyed snacks and discussed cinema. To the sensitive viewer and old-timer, the festival lacked soul and substance.

It is a pity that present film festivals are losing sheen. They have grown up like mushrooms all over the nation. Yet in general, they lack substance. Veterans like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Goutam Ghose and Govind Nihalani blame the lack of cine literacy among the present generation. Fed with larger than life, mindless entertainers, majority of today’s film buffs are either averse to true classic cinema.

I distinctly remember at the screening of 'Muhafiz' ('In Custody') at Kolkata during the International Film Festival in 1994. Shashi Kapoor, the protagonist, was lamenting the lack of sensitive viewers who once flocked to see and hailed his 'Dharamputra', 'Householder' and 'Shakespearwala' once. The same view was voiced to me by Jaya Bachchan.

The inclusion of mainstream films in festivals has brought down the quality of these events. Earlier, very few mainstream films found a place in festivals. As Satyajit Ray rightly said, an International Film Festival is the ideal place for offbeat, realistic and finesse oriented motion pictures. In the festivals, audiences expect films like 'Charulata', 'Rashomon' or 'Autumn Sonata'.

Viewers with world-cinema acumen expect masterpieces of Ray, Goddard, Kuroshawa and Bergman and other auteurs. To the average audience, films by Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai and Sanjay Leela Bhansali are enjoyable. While they are definite entertainers, it's debatable if they should find a place in international festivals.

Hrisikesh Mukherjee once confessed he would visit any auditorium in Mumbai or Kolkata to view an 'Ami Se O Sakha' or 'Deewar'. A regular at International Film Festivals, he marveled at the works of Charles Chaplin, Sergei Eisenstein and Vittorio D’ Sica. Famous filmmakers like Girish Kasaravalli and Priyadarshan also share the same opinion.

A film festival is the ideal platform for creative minds to share and discuss various aspects of cinema. Festivals create a human bondage which transcends barriers of self interests and the damned idea that movies are only for entertainment. That's why, In Europe or Hollywood, John Ford, Billy Wilder and David Lean are much more respected than Henry Hathaway, Guy Hamilton or Terence Young.

To gain back the lost charm of the Indian film festivals, organisers must be disciplined and focus more on contemporary classics. The past should not be forgotten as it showed the way for the present. The International Film Festival of India at Goa this year ensures many memorable film screenings. It is to be seen whether the grand old magic of cinema is revived here or not.