Film fest opens in Goa, Mamata steals the show

PANAJI: There truly was a scene stealer this year at the inaugural of the 41st International Film Festival. And it didn’t happen to be a film star, as expected. On the contrary, the showing by India’s film industry was particularly low this year with Ajay Devgn being the sole representative from Bollywood. Of course, there was Aftab Shivdasani and Gracy Singh compering the show and Yash Chopra lighting up the lamp as the chief guest.But the applause went loud and clear for railway minister Mamata Banerjee who candidly confessed she didn’t know what a grassroots worker was doing in the glamour world.
But that was just the beginning of Banerjee’s stellar act. She spoke straight from the heart, minus any cheat notes and went on unhindered about her love for the Indian film industry, which was giving strict competition to the international film industry and for the film people because ‘‘their life isn’t a joke: they can’t eat even if they are hungry! Always dieting!’’
But more importantly, she assured the film fraternity of taking up their problems with the government. She felt that would be an easy task since most of their problems had to be addressed by the finance ministry and ‘‘talking to Pranabda (Pranab Mukherjee) is easy. From Mamata to Pranabda, I assure you there will be no dadagiri,’’ she assured.
And if that wasn’t entertaining enough, she ended up giving the film makers and actors a brand new mantra for their work. Exhorting the movie makers to go in for constructive creativity and focus on the problems of the country, she said: ‘‘From grassroots to glamour, let us all work together to change the world.’’ Needless to say, the staid and sedate auditorium bristled with applause.
Earlier, Dadasaheb Phalke winner, Yash Chopra, too spoke straight and smart, when he highlighted the problems of the industry.
The festival opened with the screening of West is West, Andy DeEmmony’s satirical look at the dsyfunctional Khan family which is torn between its two polar identities: half Brit and half Pakistani. Sadly, Om Puri, the lead actor was not present at the show.