By Deepa Damle
After a hiatus of two years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) was back with a bang. Celebrating its 13th year, the festival boasted an array of Bollywood’s hip and happening stars, including the suave and witty Abhishek Bachchan, the stunning Vaani Kapoor and Tamannah, the extremely talented duo of Shefali Shah and Taapsee Pannu. Accompanying them were directors like Nikhil Advani (of Kal Ho Na Ho fame), Shoojit Sarcar (of Piku fame) and Anurag Kashyap (of Dobaaraa fame), producers, singers including the lady with the booming voice Sona Mohapatra.
IFFM is the brainchild of Mitu Bhowmick-Lange, and anyone that has met her once, knows she has a brilliant vision that is matched with tremendous enthusiasm. Despite the pandemic and lockdown creating so many hurdles in 2020 and 2021, she found a way out and the last IFFM was held online. This year, it was even more special, given it was the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence. What better way to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, than to have a flurry of Bollywood’s finest here in our very own Melbourne !
But the IFFM is so much more than just a party, it is a medium where independent and upcoming movie makers are also appreciated, including local talent from Australia. This time, for the first time, there was a movie which had Pakistani actors and crew. ‘Joyland’ made for an amazing watch, especially because of its plot. Hats off to the young film-makers, who have shown ample courage to make a movie on a subject that is not easily discussed in a lot of communities as yet. Other movies like Maali, Paraasathi, Maasa Bad omen, Jaggi and Dobaaraa, and documentaries like Shut Up Sona, Women of my billion (WOMB) and Ayena, were only some of the highlights in the 9 day extravaganza…which was a treat to any movie lover.
Right from the opening night to the press conference, from the wonderful chat sessions with the celebrities, hosted by the talk show extraordinaire Rajeev Masand, to the Awards night, there was something for everyone. Who can forget, the flag hoisting by the legendary Kapil Dev and Abhishek Bachchan, followed by the customary dance competition which saw entries from local dance enthusiasts….absolute fun….right here in Melbourne.
As the Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Mr Steve Dimopoulos rightly said, the IFFM has become a medium to unite the two countries Australia and India on a whole different level. This year, especially with the legendary Kapil Dev being present here for the movie ’83, the two countries were united on two fronts, Sports and Arts!
Watching the enthusiasm of the audience that attended, and hearing how the Bollywood fraternity that attended loved Melbourne, I could not help but think that we may have truly overcome the pandemic fatigue that had set in. It felt good, to be back in our beautiful Melbourne city, to have Bollywood stars come to Australia, to have audiences back for live shows and performances, to watch movies in theatres again, and to feel like life is back to ‘normal’ again. Thank you IFFM, and looking forward to attending the next one in 2023!
IFFM: A Glitzy, Ritzy, Starry Affair! added by Indian newspaper Sydney on
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