During my visit to Panaji yesterday, I saw the frantic preparations going on around our capital, Panaji, for the 48th IFFI. Panaji roads were having a hurried hot mixing, some hurried construction work to ‘beautify’ the city and other arrangements to successfully host the Film Festival. Shah rukh Khan came, Smriti Irani came, Sridevi came and a glamorous opening ceremony was held at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium. We are spending crores of rupees to showcase our small state as a place to keep in mind, when the question of holding big festivals comes up. A proud moment for all citizens like you and me.
Overwhelmed with the greatness of our state which has hosted more than a dozen IFFIs, I wrote the above lines. Then I thought for a moment. Thought for another moment. Yet another moment. But no. I did not know the purpose of holding an international film festival! Have you any idea? Don’t tell me you are as ignorant as me. I thought my friends are much better. You see, a man is known by the company he keeps and I don’t want the company I keep to be as bad as I am! Anyway, since there was no one knowledgeable around to answer my question, I went to the greatest guru of all. The guru with a big G. He/she said - I quote - “the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art; contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos; and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world”
Now look at me. The excellence of the film art has been projected forty eight times since I was twelve years old, fourteen of them just a stone throw away from me, (with lots of noise, fanfare and of course, expenditure) and I have never noticed it! Nor have I any understanding of the film cultures in the context of social and cultural ethos of the countries around the world, in spite of my government trying to educate me by bringing those films close to me by spending crores! And I never saw any increase in friendship and cooperation between me and other distant inhabitants of this world! I am a real frog in the well if ever there was one.
I hope, you my friends, are better than me and have absorbed all the above knowledge and if yes, please explain to me, in simple words, what you have seen and learnt.
As far as I am concerned, a movie or a film is produced by a producer to make some money. A director directs it to make his money. An actor acts in it to make his (lots, as I hear) money. The movie is distributed by a distributor and is projected in a theater by people who are interested in raking up their share of money. I, when I have nothing else to do and have money to spare, (and lose my mind because of that) pay through my nose, go, see, whistle, laugh and cry and come back thinking that the money was well spent and that I have been entertained well. Me, who paid and all those who earned, are quits.
If someone ( like the above mentioned movie connected fellows) intends achieving all the above mentioned blah blah blah goals and have a happy time for a week in the bargain, they are welcome to spend their money and have a good time. Why should I pay for their education and an opportunity for our politicians to pose with the filmy glitz?
If I did not learn something in forty eight years even after my government putting in its best efforts, I am not going to learn it. It is high time my government stopped spending my money to make me understand and appreciate “film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos; and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world” .
