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PANAJI: Tuesday, 20 November the curtains have been raised from one of the most prestigious film festivals in India. Wednesday, 21 November was Day 2 of the 43rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which is underway in the beautiful seaside town of Goa.
The ten day cinematic extravaganza is scheduled to be held till 30th November, 2012. The festival, which coincides with the centenary celebrations of 100 years of Indian cinema, promises to be a showcase of the glorious hundred years of Indian cinema.
Also on display is a showcase of the best of Indian and World Cinema incorporating hand-picked movies which reflect the best of cinematic culture from around the world. The objective is, of course, to re-introduce cine lovers to some astonishingly amazing films which have redefined our cinematic universe.
Announced by the Festival Director of the 43rdInternational Film Festival of India, Shri Shankar Mohan, the festival will play host to various film stars such as Akshay Kumar, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Om Puri, Vinay Pathak, Krzysztof Zanussi and Kim Ki-duk.
Shri Shankar Mohan, Festival Director, International Film Festival of India says, “The 43rd edition of IFFI is significant as we are celebrating the centenary of Indian Cinema and is a monumental moment for us as it is exactly sixty years since the first International Film Festival of India was hosted in 1952. Several events have been planned that will be a part of the celebrations. This year, our endeavour at IFFI is to bring some of the finest films from across the world to the Indian audiences. Keeping this in mind, this year’s festival brings a greater selection of Indian and International films than ever before.”
Of course, the biggest draw at the festival is Oscar winning director Ang Lee’s much anticipated 3D Film ‘Life of Pi’. The film stars Irrfan Khan, Tabu and Suraj in pivotal roles.
The Indian section is the most eagerly anticipated, which will see varied films in different sections like ‘100 Years of Indian Cinema-A Celebration’ showcasing an array of films from the glorious hundred years of Indian cinema, ‘FTII: Young at 50’ which will showcase films from Film and Television Institute of India’s glorious fifty years.
Also on the cards are Retrospectives of: Soumitra Chatterjee, Special Tribute to Girish Kasaravalli and Muzaffar Ali, Vintage: A Tribute to Masters showcasing works of Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shyam Benegal, D Ramanaidu and K Balachander; Homages to Yash Chopra, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Navodaya Appachan, T Damodaran, Ashok Mehta, Rajen Kothari, AK Hangal, Dara Singh, Joy Mukherjee, Dinesh Thakur and Ravi Shankar Sharma.
Cinema crazy fans will also get a chance to witness ‘Cinema of the World’ which include a showcase of fifty-one films from forty-two countries with Ang Lee’s 3D film ‘Life of Pi’ as its Opening Film and Mira Nair’s ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ as its Closing Film.
Day 2 saw stars like Om Puri, Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Lillette Dubey, and many others. The stars of ‘Life of Pi’, Tabu and Irrfan, were seen fielding questions and comments about their film, at a press conference.
And not just that, plans are in motion to screen some films right on the picturesque, scenic sun-and-sand beaches of Goa.
