The Film Festival organised under the aegis of Chitra Bharati at Indore not only revitalised new source of energy for upcoming artists and producers but also encouraged film making based on values and culture of Bharat
Giving right direction to the society, connecting the new generation with the soil of Bharat and whatever is rooted in this culture should be promoted was the message of unique film festival organised by Chitra Bharati. The festival organised from February 26-28 at Indore provided a platform to young and promising film makers who want to give a positive message through art. At the same time, Chitra Bharati sensitised the viewers on this front. Artists who want to address the social concerns through short films and documentaries got a chance to participate in this festival.
While inaugurating this unique fest, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “There is no dearth of artists and calibre in the state of Madhya Pradesh. They should come forward and should make movies with certain objectives and directions. Everyone likes movies with social concerns and human values.” Famous television and film actor Manoj Joshi said, “Film-makers are the saints of the creative world, they should make movies that can contribute in nation building.” Calling this festival as a Filmy Kumbh, he further added that films of different languages from all over the country depict the diversity of our culture. Culture and tradition are the backbone of any nation and films should reflect the same while expressing social sensitivities. Another gifted film-maker Vivek Agnihotri aired his pain by saying that ‘common man’ is completely missing from our films. Film-makers are not ready to address the prominent issues before the nation. You pick up any five films of recent times; you will not find ‘Bharat’ in it. It is really harmful for culture of any nation. Eminent director Madhur Bhandarkar said, “By organising this event in Indore, Chitra Bharati has initiated new festival based on Bharateeya culture. This will provide a good platform to low budget films. This will infuse a new life in the creative world.” Film producer and director Rahul Ravel said that one should do a work to get recognition in the film industry while actor Mukesh Tiwary said that the future belongs to short films as they are not tied to the market
considerations.
| Art Takes Human Beings to Salvation “Films are also an art form. Though arts are universal, we believe that Bharat has a distinct perspective and that is ‘art is that which leads to salvation’. It means all art forms lead human beings to salvation. The ultimate goal of human life in Bharateeya tradition is Moksha (salvation), which means completeness. Art is complimentary in this process. The concept of Chitra Bharati is to attain same objective through Bharateeya films.” |
In the inaugural function, producer of the Sanskrit Film Priya Manasam Vinod Bhaskar, Vice Chancellor of Devi Ahilya University Ashutosh Mishra and Mayor of Indore Malini Gaud etc were also present. A special development fund of Rs 50 Lakh has been constituted for the young directors of Madhya Pradesh. It is another feature of this festival. Through this fund, more than 10 directors will be assisted through training and development in film-making and script writing.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP General Secretary also graced the festival for a day with his presence. He said, “Films can be instrumental in bringing change in society but unfortunately good films are not able to generate good business and bad movies are earning crores of rupees. In such a situation, we have to sensitise the viewers first.”
During the open discussion filmmakers gave ears to the suggestions of the viewers and very positive discussion could take place. The main organiser was Bhaiyyaji Dani Sewa Nyas, while Devi Ahilya University, Indore and Madhya Pradesh Jan Abhiyan, Bhopal were collaborators.
Total 207 films were screened in three categories. A panel of juries scrutinised the films and awarded some of them. On the third and last day of the festival, selected short films, documentaries and animation films were screened. Many entries also came from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) that bagged some awards. In the documentary section, Mahesh Mishra of Mumbai received the first prize, while Mahesh Kumar from Kerala won the prize in short films section. A special prize was given to Daulat Rathod for his documentary film. The winners were felicitated by noted film-maker Madhur Bhandarkar and Rahul Rawail in the valedictory session. This festival has certainly created hopes for new artists to intend to make short films with low budget.
Arun Kumar Singh (With inputs from
Sandip Nirkhiwale from Indore)
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