Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor will be felicitated by The Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). DNA asks film buffs if such festivals are a platform to encourage young and fresh talent.
Expert view
Will change people’s notion about films
It’s fantastic that Mami will now be a major event rather than a low key affair. It is a great platform to encourage young and fresh talent, as it creates an atmosphere which makes one think out-of-box. But the duration of the festival is short. I think that instead of just a seven day affair, we should have a series of such festivals - every weekend - because it will help people learn about films. Mumbai doesn’t have a film culture. One might say that the Hindi film industry is located here, so people know more about films, but this is not true. People have wrong notions about films and we need festivals like Mami to teach people what cinema stands for. The common man needs to be taught how to watch a film, which is much more than the glamour component. Also, we need to open up our minds to regional films. If we are trying to understand European and Asian films, then why not a Malayalam or an Assamese film? Regional films can teach one a lot because they have a sense of belonging to a place and we can feel the connection.
—Sudhir Mishra, director and screenwriter
Create space for regional movies also
Regional cinema has become an international phenomenon. This year a film called Harishchandrachi Factory has been chosen by the Film Federation of India’s jury for the Oscar. Even previously many regional films have done well vis-à-vis Hollywood and Hindi cinema. This is possible only when regional cinema is promoted well. There is need to have one platform where they can showcase their work before international viewers and critics. Mami and other film festivals provide a platform.If the potential of the regional cinema will be visible to the world then such films will get finance and sponsorship which is really required for the betterment of the genre of cinema. Regional films actually reflect the real society. Among international film festivals there is need to create a niche for Indian films. For achieving global recognition, film fraternity should come forward to promote Indian cinema.
—Deepak Balraj Vij, director and actor
Hollywood actors can boost the event
Honestly I wasn’t aware about the Mami festival till recently. However, I don’t think there can be any comparison with the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa which has been there for a long while now. I believe that India has got great talent which needs to be promoted. For instance, many of our regional films have shown great potential and have also won awards at international level. Especially the contribution of regional language films is immense, so many films have been inspired by South Indian movies so we need to promote them. Also for festivals like Mami, we should invite lots of known faces from Hollywood to give further prominence to the festival.
—Ganesh Pednekar
Long way before we compare it with Cannes
In a city like Mumbai where people to come watch Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, we surely need a festival of this stature. Such film festivals are a platform to promote fresh talent but honestly how many are actually encouraged? There needs to be an advertisement campaign and awareness about such festivals to get more people to see the “real” cinema. Mumbai should hold a festival that all of us would be very proud of. There is still a long way to go before we make any comparisons with international film festivals like Cannes.
—Marina Almeida
Mami is the Cannes of Asia
Indian cinema has been dominated by Hindi films, which unfortunately has churned out a lot of substandard films. But with the emergence of younger, inspired directors like Bharadwaj and Akhtar who have a broader perspective, things seem to be improving. Filmmakers at regional level need encouragement and a solid platform to enable them to excel at making meaningful films. With proper guidance and the inclusion of films of every genre, there’s no reason why Mami can’t be the Cannes of Asia.
—Lester Fernandes
Cinema opens mind to different cultures, problems
I will certainly go for Mami festival with my wife. Films not only entertain us, they also introduce us to the different cultures and various problems existing in the society. Festivals like Mami give an opportunity for international film makers to display their work. But the Indian film festivals are not so famous among Indians like international film festival like Cannes. We must highlight our film festival positively so that regional Indians films can be promoted too.
—Thomas Plammoottil
More hype because Bachchan will be felicitated
This year there is more hype surrounding the Mami film festival since Amitabh Bachchan is going to be felicitated. Being a film buff, I will surely like to catch up on the classics that are going to be screened. Indian films lag behind their international counterparts. In terms of the craftsmanship and techniques, only a handful of Hindi films are praiseworthy.
—Hardhika Solanki
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