By Rajan Narayan

THE International Film Festival of India in Goa is as much a celebration of Indian and Goan cinema as it is of international films. IFFI 2024 has special significance for Indian cinema as it marks the centenary of the birth of two great Hindi cinema icons, namely Raj Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi. The Directorate of Film Festivals has rightly decided to pay homage to Hindi film music by paying tribute to the late Lata Mangeshkar who died five years short of her centenary. Lata Mangeshkar is of Goan origin and indeed, the indoor auditorium at the Kala Academy is named after her father Dinanath Mangeshkar.
The famous film critic GP Ramachandran Babu will be holding a conversation with AR Rahman on the contribution of Lata Mangeshakar to Hindi film music on November 27 between 2.30pm and 4pm at the Kala Academy auditorium.
Raj Kapoor, were he still alive, would be celebrating his own centenary. Raj Kapoor is a legendry film producer, director and actor. He rose to fame with his film “Awara” which showed the struggles of the common man. Raj Kapoor modeled himself as on American actor Charlie Chaplin and he had his own sense of great humor.
Among Raj Kapoor’s landmark films was “Sangam” which was the first Hindi film short extensively in Europe much to Indian cinegoers. It featured three of the legendary actors of Indian cinema, Raj Kapoor of course, Sunil Dutt and Vyjayanthimala who still lives a charmed life in her senior years. Raj Kapoor’s film of young love — “Bobby” — with a young Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in the main role was extensively filmed in Goa. It was the first Bombay Hindi film to introduce Goan folk music to India with the famous “Ghe, ghe, ghe, ghe, ghe, gha Saibai…maka naka go, maka naka go…” the climax scene was shot at the Dudhsagar waterfalls deep in the forests of Goa.
The Kapoor legacy was kept alive by his brothers Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. Raj Kapoor’s grandson Ranbir Kapoor will be making a presentation on his grandfather on November 24, 2024 at the Kala Academy auditorium between 2.30pm and 4 pm.
The choice of Goa as a permanent IFFI venue gave a major boost to Konkani cinema. Never mind that long before IFFI came along Goa had already seen several films in Konkani like “Nirmon” and “Amchem Noxib.” Rajendra Talak made the first Konkani film “Aleesha” to be premiered at the IFFI. In 2023 the Konkani film “Sadabahar” was shown. Among the award-winning Konkani film has been “Nachom-ia-Kumpasar,” a musical featuring Goan greats like the late Chris Perry and Lorna Cordeiro (Goa’s “nightingale”).
In contemporary Goan cinema best known female actors are Prashanti Talpankar and Meenacshi Martins. This year it has been decided to create a window for Konkani films including documentaries. One may also recall Barkha Naik, the young Goan award-winning documentary film producer-director who won a prestigious national award for her Konkani film “Salt.” Many Goan filmmakers have taken advantage of sponsorships and facilities offered by the Goan government to produce films in Konkani and these include – Sanjay Shetye of Vinson Graphics and Geno Pharmaceuticals Dr Pramod Salgaocar who made the film “Baga Beach” (in English) which highlighted the underbelly of tourism in Goa driven by paedophilia, child abuse, the use of drugs and how it affected and how all this changed and took a toll on Goa’s coastal village landscapes and Goan people.
Goa first International Film Festival of India started off in 2004 under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar who tried to make it a very inclusive festival. The film festival itself is meant for the thousands of delegates who turn up from home and abroad. This is because the films screened are uncensored and cannot be exposed to the general public. To compensate aam aadmi for the sacrifices made for IFFI, Manohar Parrikar had the idea of mega entertainment programs at the grounds of the National Institute of Water Sports at Caranzalem. Parrikar also made sure screenings of popular Hindi, Konkani and Marathi were organized at lso organized screenings of popular films the Miramar beach venue in Panjim as also in south Goa.
This year the 55th IFFI will host IFFIESTA featuring entertainment and food programs at the Kala Academy from November 21 to 28, 2024. The event will feature 11 traditional dance groups, live music performances controlled by popular DJs, exclusive events with filmstars with whom the public may interact. In short, it will be a celebration of cinema and cinema icons and you may walk through an exhibition depicting the journey of Indian cinema. A fashion show is also on the cards organized by the National Institute of Fashion Technology which will pay tribute to six decades of Indian cinema through the stunning costumes worn in films.
The registration fee to attend IFFIESTA at the Kala Academy is likely to be Rs2,000 inclusive of all eight days of the cinematic funfair. However, IFFIESTA goers will not have access to films screened for delegates and the media.