The Eleventh Edition of the
Chennai International Film Festival got off to a glittering start at a
star-studded event in the city on Thursday. It witnessed the coming together of
iconic Tamil actor film-maker Kamal Haasan and Hindi film star and path-breaking
television anchor, Aamir Khan.While answering a question on censorship, Mr.
Haasan, in his trademark, candid way, urged the film industry to take the
responsibility of censoring films as those on the Censor Board were not
qualified enough to do so. “They like cinema … they like to watch films ...
there are Censor Board officials who sometimes tell young film-makers ‘you
could make your film shorter.’ It’s ridiculous,” he said in an open stage
interaction with actor Suhasini Maniratnam, who asked questions on behalf of
many film personalities.
To a question on closing the gap
between Tamil and world cinema, Mr. Haasan said the industry was in need of new
writers. “There are books, but books will not make cinema. Even Shakespeare
will have to learn script-writing. The Malayalam industry is making films from
books. I became a writer by default.”
‘CHAIN OF THEATRES’
Mr. Khan appreciated the efforts
of the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF), especially its founder and
general secretary E. Thangaraj, in bringing the Indian panorama and world
cinema to the Chennai audience. He said sometimes he wished the country had a
chain of theatres that showcased films from different parts of the world and
the country … that have programmes for art house cinema. “There is a
considerable audience for such cinema and it will be a step towards healthy
cinema.”The Festival presented by The Hindu and Pudhuyugam, will be on till
December 19 and the films will be screened in eight screens at five venues —
the Woodland Theatre Complex, Inox Screens, Abirami Mega Mall, Rani Seethai
Hall and Casino Theatre.
163 FILMS TO BE SCREENED
A total of 163 films from 58
countries will be screened.Musician Anil Srinivas and playback singer Karthik
presented a selection of songs from a few films. As an introduction to the
music session, actors Rohini and Poornima Bhagyaraj read out poetry from a
selection of Tamil film songs. Actor dancer Shobana and her students presented
three choreographed pieces, including Vande Mataram. The event was compeered by
actor Abirami and CIFF’s Ramya.Actor-dancer Swarnamalya and her students
presented a thematic presentation on classical dance in Tamil cinema. Kasturi
and Sons Chairman N. Ram, The Hindu Editor-in-Chief N. Ravi, actor Lakshmi,
South Indian Film Chamber president Kalyan, ICAF president S. Kannan,
vice-president B. Ramakrishnan, incumbent president of the Film Federation of
India, Ravi Kottarakara, Pudhuyugam CEO Shyam Kumar and Mohammad Ali of SIS
graced the occasion.
The Tamil film competition jury
was introduced and jury chairman, director R.V. Udhayakumar, and members, actor
Sripriya and writer S. Ramakrishnan, were honoured. A souvenir was released to
mark the occasion. Actors Sachu, Mohan, Y.G. Mahendra, Lissy Priyadarshan,
Mohan Raman, and directors Balu Mahendra and Santhana Bharati, among others,
were present.Mr. Thangaraj thanked the Tamil Nadu government for its support
for the festival.
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