Young viewers flock to Patna film fest

PATNA: The second day of Patna Film Mahotsava witnessed the screening of some catching and award-winning documentaries on social issues. Primarily, the documentries made by two well-known directors, Arvind Sinha (Kolkata) and Sri Prakash (Jharkhand), were shown here on Saturday.
A lively discussion was held after the showcasing of Arvind Sinha's Dui Paatan ke Beech, which was primarily based on the condition of flood victims in north Bihar.Although the film was made in 1999, it is still valid today in many aspects. This film reflected how flood victims face problems of rehabilation and livelihood after being hit by floods.
Earlier talking to mediapersons, the director of the showcased film The Fire Within Sri Prakash said that in the present era, a large number of documentaries are being made on social issues. He also told that it's a matter of ponderance that these films don't get a better platform to be showcased on big screen. He also said that filmmakers need encouragement from their audience in order to make better films in future.
Even other short films and documentries were also showcased that received good response from the audience. Short films on varied topics and in vivid language were also got showcased including Biju Toppo's Gadi Lohardaga Mail, Ritwik Ghatak made bengali film Komal Gandhar and many others.
Director Arvind Kumar later said: "Bihar has a lot of problems to be tackled with and those existing problems are the inspirations for my films." He also added that the mentality of contemporary viewers also affect the mindset of the filmmaker.
Although the directors were also quite upset at the size of crowd gathered to see the short films. But the film festival also witnessed a lot of young people who gathered to know more on the topic and also participated in the lively discussions organised after every important film.
Twenty-year-old Pranav Kumar, a resident of Kankerbagh, one of the viewers said he felt really lucky to see rare films that are usually not shown on big screens. He also told that it is a very good time for Patnaites to meet the renowned directors and interact with them.