By our reporter
Melbourne, 28 March : Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bchchan will open the Indian Film Festival Melbourne 2014 on May 1. The 2014 festival program was launched today by the Minister for Innovation, Tourism and Major Events,and Employment and Trade Louise Asher, and acclaimed Bollywood diva and Festival Ambassador, Ms Vidya Balan. CEO of the festival Mrs. Mitu Bhowmick was also present. Louise Asher also announced that Bollywood screen sensation Amitabh Bachchan will be open the eleven days long festival .
Amitabh Bachchan first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the “angry young man” of Bollywood, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades. Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.So total was his dominance of the movie scene in the 1970s and 1980s that the French director François Truffaut called him a “one-man industry”.
Addressing media persons at the Investment Centre, Collins Street in the city Ms Asher said that the festival will be held from 1 to 11 May and feature over 40 films, with more than half being Australian premieres.
“Films will be shown in 20 languages and we will have five free screenings at Federation Square,” Ms Asher said.
“Victorians and all visitors to Melbourne are in for a treat of Indian films this year.
“We have a stellar international guest list starring Bollywood screen legend Amitabh Bachchan who will open the festival on 1 May.
“It will be an honour to have Mr Bachchan here, just a year after he opened the Cannes Film Festival with his Great Gatsby co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio,” Ms Asher said.
Other industry guests include Konkona Sen Sharma (one of India’s leading stars of arthouse and independent cinema), Vijay Krishna Acharya (director of Dhoom 3), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (director of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag),Shaan Shahid (star of Waar, Pakistan’s highest-grossing box office hit of all time), Hassan Waqas Rana (producer of Waar) and Suhasini Maniratnam (icon of South India cinema).
Ms Asher said that this year’s festival would see the return of Festival favourites, such as the interactive master classes, Western Union Short Film competition and the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition, to be judgedby the incredible actor /producer Malaika Arora Khan, a judge on TV show India’s Got Talent.
“In response to community feedback, the festival has also added to the program an exciting new section called New Voices, which will feature six films from first time filmmakers,” Ms Asher said.
Ms Asher thanked Ms Balan for coming to Melbourne to help launch the festival program.
“Ms Balan is a great friend of Victoria, and known for her roles portraying strong female protagonists.
She launched the 2012 and 2013 Festivals and it is an honour and a pleasure to have Ms Balan back this year.
“The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne brings prominent Indian filmmakers and screen professionals to Melbourne, helps promote Victoria as an international screen production destination, and provides opportunities todevelop Victorian and Indian screen partnerships,” Ms Asher said.
Addressing the media Vidya Balan said she felt at home in Melbourne and would come back again with her husband soon. She thanked the Victorian government for supporting the IFFM 2014 and she considered the festival as a personal achievement.
IFFM Festival director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange said the 2014 IFFM would be the most exciting and ambitious festival yet.
“We could not have asked for a better chief guest than the patriarch of Indian cinema and one of the most iconic Indians of all times, Mr Amitabh Bachchan to open the festival on 1 May,” Ms Bhowmick Lange said.
“The inaugural IFFM Awards takes the festival to a new level and we are all very excited to see who the winners will be. I hope you will all join in with your friends and family to celebrate the magic of cinema!”
– SAT News Service
