1964. The first competitive International Film Festival started in New Delhi. The inaugural film was Hakeekat. President Dr Sarvapalli Radakrishnan inaugurated the festival amid cheer and excitement. He sat through the entire screening, thereby breaking the protocol of his predecessor, Dr Rajendra Prasad, who inaugurated film festivals and left soon after.
Mighty impressed by the film, Dr Radhakrishnan personally complimented the writer and director Chetan Anand, terming Haqeeqat a classic. After the screening, the British film delegation also congratulated Chetan Anand. All the members unanimously agreed if they got Priya Rajvansh (Hakeekat’s female protagonist) in England they could have created another Greta Garbo.
November spells the season of film festivals. There is the International Film Festival of India at Goa. Close before or later are MAMI, KIFI and other such events at Trivandrum and Chennai. Connoisseurs, however, say that present film festivals are no more what they used to be earlier. Goutam Ghose says, “It is true to a great extent that contemporary film festivals are losing popularity. One seldom sees films like Gone with The Wind, Pather Panchali or Roshomon now. Besides, the lack of eminent film personalities like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Guru Dutt is also a major reason for film festivals not garnering attraction.”
Memorable films were made in the past and are also being made now. In India, films like Lunchbox, Kasav and Bisarjan are receiving elite attraction. Yet, these films don’t match a Padosi, Devi or Akaler Sandhane. Padma Shri awardee Govind Nihalani says, “Content-wise, regional cinema is shades better than Hindi films. But where are masterpieces?”
Earlier film festivals had viewers who were true cinema lovers. Parties were thrown then and are also given now. Attendees are more interested in drinking and gossiping rather than exchanging views on cinema. Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and the likes are overexposed at festivals. There are occasionally Susan Sarandons or Jiri Menzels. Today, there are no authentic cine movements like days of yore.
Festivals of cinema will come and go. How many will be remembered, only time can tell. In a discussion with Chetan Anand at his Juhu shack in 1967, Polish filmmaker Andrei Wajda said, “True cinema is like the child in your Aakhri Khat. Restless yet questioning, innocent and never afraid.”
The author writes on art and culture.