EDITORIAL / The Navhind Times (Goa)
As Goa gives finishing touches to its arrangements for the International Film Festival of India, there should be no unpleasant chord struck, like the one done by the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. In holding the IFFI in Goa, no unseemingly controversy needs to crop up at this juncture. After a lot of deliberations, studies and delegation visits from both the government and the industry, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the directorate of film festivals and the government of Goa on holding the IFFI in the state. The MoU is for this year, but there is a thinking going on to make Goa a permanent venue for IFFI. Goa�s strength is tourism. And the strength of its tourism is its East-meets-West culture and its beautiful greenery and beaches. It was favoured as the IFFI venue for these reasons. Some 25 years back, leading film makers, including the late Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal and Girish Karnad commended Goa for its beauty. Of significance in this regard was the fact that several venues of international film festivals, including Venice and Cannes, were also favourite tourism spots.
Mercifully, the controversy raised by the West Bengal Chief Minister did not spiral into a spoiler. Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had shot off a letter to the Union Information Minister, Mr Jaipal Reddy, urging him to reconsider �the decision of the NDA government� to make Goa as the IFFI venue. We do not run down West Bengal because of what Mr Bhattacharya has said. West Bengal has a rich film culture. Goa does not have much of film culture. Film society movement had its origins in Kolkata. The state has produced titans of cinematic art, like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Ray. The middle class Bengalis are quite familiar with the best aesthetic traditions in film art, though they are often steeped deeply in the Bengali cinema, which is nothing wrong, since people of all regions tend to relate themselves more closely to the films made in their language. Goa does not have as rich traditions of cinematic art as West Bengal has. There are one or two Goan filmmakers who have made a name in Bollywood, but their greatness has not been reflected in the Goan regional cinema. There is no strong culture of exhibition of film classics through film societies, either.
Both Goa and West Bengal have distinct strengths. While Goa is strong on tourism, West Bengal is strong on film culture. It would be wrong to run down either Goa or West Bengal on this or that count. Both are states of the same country. Each region has developed culturally in accordance with the events and currents in history and each one has its own peculiar strength. The central idea involved here is to make the IFFI rise higher and higher in international appreciation. People outside do not look at the IFFI as a film event of very high importance. This has happened in spite of the fact that a number of our film makers have made an international name, especially those from West Bengal and Kerala. So, the moot point remains whether the IFFI will rise in importance in international eye.
When we talk of IFFI, it means both art and entertainment. IFFI brings good cinema to the jury and the people. But the people who come to it have to find the locations entertaining and interesting too. In that sense, Goa scores. It remains to be seen, though, whether this IFFI is going to be more successful than the IFFI held so far. Response is crucial. Endeavours are afoot to link hospitality with the IFFI, and we will know the sweetness or sourness of the fruits of everybody�s labour in a few days time. For the director of film festivals, too, it is a gamble. They might be one with Shyam Benegal when he says: If you have a natural tourist destination like Goa that is well-known internationally, people do come over.
We only wish to tell people like Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya: Wait until the IFFI in Goa is over. Do not make any hasty judgement. Do not make the issue political. Close to Rs 120 crore has been spent in Goa on infrastructure and multiplexes for the IFFI. The festival is barely three weeks away and everybody, including the West Bengal Chief Minister, must work toward making it a success. This IFFI has to bring better news for all those engaged in the making and exhibiting of good cinema. What happens in the future cannot be a matter of political sabre-rattling or locational controversy at the present moment. In the past, other states have hosted the IFFI, including Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Much will follow from what happens at the Goa IFFI. Why would anybody think of moving the venue to another state if the results are good and profitable for everybody? Let us have patience and see.
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