Earlier this week, the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) came to a glittering close, with the Persian film "Endless Borders" bagging the prestigious Golden Peacock and Hollywood legend Michael Kirk Douglas being bestowed the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award raising the festival a few notches in terms of international credibility.
Very few, however, noticed that this once roving festival which travelled the country's metros and other big cities year after year, just completed its 20th year with Goa as its home.
So over the last two decades, has the festival achieved or even come close to the stated goals when it was first moved permanently to Goa? Of using the backdrop of Goa's beach-dotted landscape and east-meets-west cultural moorings to rise to the heights of Berlin, Venice or Cannes? Not many, if any, will answer affirmatively.
On the contrary, deliberate or otherwise, IFFI in its Goa avtaar has come to be severely criticised for its overarching, deliberate or otherwise, glide (or slide as some film personalities believe and often complain) into the universe of Bollywood.
The controversy over the excessive exposure to Bollywood at the IFFI has often cropped up in recent years and this year's edition was no exception.
No less than a jury member of the non-feature film section of the Indian Panorama questioned loudly and angrily the pre-eminent place given to the commercial Hindi cinema industry at the festival.
Arvind Sinha headed the non-feature film section jury this year. He told the media that "IFFI should essentially be a platform for documentary filmmakers and feature movie makers who need support“.
In essence what Sinha said was that IFFI and the money spent on it should not be splurged on Bollywood industry stalwarts. He even went on to name Bollywood biggie Karan Johar and took the backlash of what he said on his chin.
The dominance of Bollywood and its who's who, every time Goa hosts the IFFI may or may not be the only reason for the purpose why the festival was shifted permanently to Goa not being achieved yet. But what Sinha and several others before are trying to impress -- that creative films, ambitious filmmakers and industry professionals and not just the Bollywood stars must get more space -- cannot be swept under the carpet,
Bollywood does bring with it a glamour quotient but what Sinha and many others say is that the space it hogs displaces other genres and quality filmmakers at the IFFI and in a way contributes to why the festival hasn't risen to the heights of say Berlin, Cannes or Venice.
The final word on this Bollywood v/s the rest at the IFFI is not out yet and the Directorate of Film Festivals in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which is primarily responsible for curating the festival will have a load of homework to do to get to the right balance. Sooner the better.
