Though Goa as host of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) holds much potential, the event needs twists in the existing tale if it is to be another Cannes. Delhi Times on the haves and have-nots of Brand IFFI...
Dharmesh, our cabbieman, has an interesting insight to make as he drives us from Calangute Bagha beach. Why does everybody seem so happy here? we ask him. "Because we Goans have just one maxim, come what may: Khoshi da lo! " he explains. Roughly translated, it means, we always remain happy!
Now try translating this into the IFFI spirit that has prevailed in Goa for the last 10 days and here's what it might mean. All the film screenings, be it the select Kala Academy or the newly-installed Inox multiplex, have seen a sizable audience. Some of them have even seen long queues and what's been most heartening is the fact that, unlike the cold reception IFFI gets at Delhi, large numbers here have actually bought tickets to see the films or enrolled themselves as delegates after paying a fee of Rs 200. Of course, the biggest crowds were for the Hollywood films and for the Indian art
films, including Shwaas , the Indian entry for the Oscars. And no, nobody wanted to know which were the 'hot' films: a favourite query that media people have to face whenever the festival is held at saddi high-on- mojo Dilli.
The second 'khoshi' factor was the carnival-like atmosphere that prevailed all along the Mandovi river front. Every 100 metres, there was a mini stage where somebody was singing or performing a play. And believe it or not, there were huge crowds actually sitting and clapping for them. Compare this with IFFI in Dilli and all you get to see is a handful of regulars at Siri Fort. Period. There is no song and dance anywhere in the city to give it the festive spirit. And if the promenade performances weren't enough, there were regular plays at an
amphitheatre and beach screenings of popular Hindi film blockbusters at Miramar. And guess what, all these were free shows, including Shaan's music concert and Anupam Kher's play Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai . If you want to see it at Delhi, you would have to shell out a neat sum to gain entry at an upmar
ket auditorium.
The third 'khoshi' factor has been the night-out factor. Goa is a strange place. It sleeps during the day and springs to life at night. Even the shopping centres seem to pull down their shutters during the day. But as evening falls, the liners in the sea light up, the river cruises become one mad round of naach-gaana , the beaches seem to become as wild as the sea and the moon literally beams down on a 'let's party' Goa. The parties have been of all shades and hues: there's been the CM's party on a suspension bridge and a lunch on a river cruise, the bureaucrats' parties at sundry beaches and hotels and private producers even daring to host exotic do's --complete with belly dancers, fire-eaters -- at exotic beach resorts. In short, you've had the sand in your shoes, almost every night and have crawled back to your hotel in the wee
hours of the morning. Dilli mein aisa hota hai kya, bidu ?
Goa Constrictors
Sun, sand, surf... pass the popcorn!
So why can't Goa be the permanent venue? "Why not," asks Sanjay Gupta, filmmaker. "Goa is the perfect getaway where you can spend time with cinema and the people who love cinema. And believe it or not, films are meant to be enjoyed, messages only come later. So the best place to enjoy films is Goa, away from t
he mainstream."
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* Improve package of films : According to producer Bobby Bedi, Goa would be the ideal venue, if the package of films included in the festival improved. "You want to compete with Cannes, then go in for that kind of programming. Have a special committee to make the rounds of festivals abroad and select the acclaimed films instead of going in for unknown variables," he adds.
* Create awareness: Of course, building brand IFFI would also entail building brand DFF (Directorate of Film Festivals).
As Bhuvan Lall, consultant for IFFI 2004, points out, "We desperately need to put IFFI on the global map. Nobody in the West is even aware of our festival and those directors who have
been here once, don't want to come again."
* Package it right, be business-savvy : The road ahead must entail "better programming, a sharp business acumen and loads and loads of glamour," says Lall.
* Involve Bollywood : Bollywood must be made an integral part of IFFI, both in terms of premieres and star participation. After all, every Hollywood star's dream is to walk the red carpet at Cannes. Why can't our Bollywood stars nurture similar dreams for IFFI?
