FFI celebrates Raj Kapoor’s 100th anniv

Kolkata: The Film Federation of India (FFI) celebrated Raj Kapoor's 100th birth anniversary with a two-day programme in Kolkata.While the programme featured felicitations, panel discussions and a performance by the Calcutta Youth Choir, the biggest attraction was Abhishek Dutta's fashion retrospective titled ‘Nargis to Mandakini', where showstoppers Tanusree Chakraborty, Priyanka Sarkar and Lahoma Bhattacharya graced the ramp in ensembles inspired by Kapoor's films like ‘Awaara', ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram', ‘Mera Naam Joker', ‘Bobby', and ‘Raam Teri Ganga Maili'.The event focused on Kapoor's connections with Kolkata. The Hindi film icon's father Prithviraj Kapoor used to live in a rented place in Hazra sometime in the mid-1930s and 1940s. In 1956, Sombhu Mitra and Amit Maitra directed "Jagte Raho" under the banner of RK Films, featuring Raj Kapoor. The film also had actors like Pradeep Kumar and Pahari Sanyal, with music by Salil Chowdhury. The film was remade in Bengali as ‘Ek Din Ratre' with a cast featuring Chhabi Biswas, Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Pahari Sanyal and Tulsi Lahiri.State education minister Bratya Basu, painter Subhaprasanna, vice-president of the Federation of Film Societies of India Premendra Mazumder and filmmaker-producer Anjan Bose attended the event in which FFI felicitated Tripat Paul Agarwal, Sakshi Mehra, Ravi Kotarrakara, and C Kalyan. Agarwal is a former president of FFI and the first vice-president of the International Federation of Film Producers Association. Mehra is the vice-president of FFI and was elected president of the Motion Pictures Association, Delhi, in 2008. Telugu film producer Kalyan is credited with introducing medical insurance in the producers' council for the first time. Kotarrakara is another vice-president of FFI and president of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce."After I became the president of FFI, my primary intention was always to make Bengal the focus. I am glad so many important dignitaries came down to pay tribute to Raj Kapoor," said FFI president Firdasul Hasan.