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IFFI reels out amid glamour, fanfare Reddy assures Goa of better infrastructure for future events BY HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, NOV 24 — The Minister of Urban Development and Culture Jaipal Reddy promised the people of Goa that he would "see that proper infrastructure is in place in the future" to put Goa on par with festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Venice. He was speaking at the 36th International Film Festival of India which got off to a grand start in the city in the presence of Goa Chief Minster Pratapsing Rane, chief guest Dev Anand, guest of honour Chiranjeevi and Festival Director Afzal Amanullah. Mr Reddy's announcement will hopefully gladden Goan hearts who would like the sylvan State to be truly developed for its citizenry instead of merely a tourist playground. A teacher on condition of anonymity told Herald, "This festival is meant for non-Goans; we locals are given a short shrift and not invited to attend the festival screenings. Last year, I couldn't even step inside the Kala Academy which was restricted to invitees. Besides, the roadblocks created a big problem and the traffic police didn't do their job properly." Earlier, at a crowded press conference addressed by Mr Amanullah, some non-Goan journalists demanded exclusive access and logistical extension of the free shuttle buses being provided from Inox to Kala Academy. "Keep the locals out of these buses," one journalist told Mr Amanullah. It may be noted that international film festivals in Mumbai do not offer free transport between festival venues like the NCPA and the Chavan Centre. At the opening ceremony this evening, Adi Seshadri, president of the Film Federation of India said that Government support was needed for marketing films. Mr Chiranjeevi said, film festivals afforded an opportunity to interact apart from showcasing talent. The chief guest Dev Anand said he was delighted to be in Goa and recalled how he had made his first trip to India's tiniest State by road in 1961. Urmila Matondkar, Amisha Patel, Shankar Mahadevan, Paintal, Dino Morea, Tara and Onjolee Nair performed. Bipasha Basu, Pooja Bhatt, Jayme Monjardim, director and the cast of the inaugural film, 'Olga' and artistes from Pakistan were among the guests. Hema Sardesai and Himesh Reshamiyya sang the IFFI theme song. -- Cheers, Gabe Menezes. London, England