23rd Pune International Film Festival begins with a grand opening

“The Maharashtra authorities is simply a person successful IT and movie industry. We person allotted 10 acres of onshore successful Film City to found a one-of-a-kind Centre of Excellence. This centre, named AVGC (Animation, Visual, Gaming and Comic), volition bring successful planetary experts to bid radical successful precocious technologies and developments successful films and entertainment,” said Shelar.

The inauguration was attended by respective distinguished guests, including Vikas Kharge, main secretary, taste affairs; Swati Mhase Patil, MD, Film City; and filmmaker Shaji Karun. Renowned playback vocalist Kavita Krishnamurthy and seasoned histrion Shubha Khote were besides contiguous astatine the event. Others included Dr Jabbar Patel, manager of PIFF; Ravi Gupta, secretary, Pune Film Foundation; Satish Alekar, trustee, Pune Film Foundation; Samar Nakhate, originative manager of PIFF; Abhijeet Randive, member, PIFF Selection Committee; and Dr Mohan Agashe, trustee, PIFF. The ceremonial was hosted by actors Shreya Bugade and Kshitish Date and began with the unveiling of the authoritative PIFF catalogue.

As portion of the festival’s theme, ‘Celebrating the Showman’, which marks the commencement centenary of Raj Kapoor, seasoned histrion Shubha Khote was honoured with the PIFF Distinguished Award for her outstanding publication to Indian cinema. Kavita Krishnamurthy received the prestigious SD Burman International Award for originative euphony and sound.

After receiving her award, Krishnamurthy expressed her gratitude towards her mentors and colleagues. She past delighted the assemblage by performing her celebrated opus “Pyar Hua Chupkese”. Khote besides shared her gratitude and reminisced astir her travel successful cinema, reflecting connected however she transitioned into drama alternatively of becoming a pb actress.

Speaking astatine the event, Kharge emphasised PIFF’s increasing importance. “PIFF has go a marque present successful Maharashtra. The authorities considers the movie manufacture a important sector. Films are not conscionable astir entertainment; they besides dispersed important societal messages. The movie manufacture contributes 2% to the nationalist GDP, and the amusement manufacture has a compound yearly maturation complaint (CAGR) of 8%. Hence, the Maharashtra authorities is committed to supporting some determination and planetary films,” said Kharge. “Maharashtra has each the indispensable infrastructure, locations, and facilities for filmmaking. I entreaty to nationalist and planetary filmmakers to research Maharashtra for their movie projects,” helium added.

Dr Jabbar Patel spoke astir the festival’s wide scope and its tribute to Raj Kapoor. “This year, PIFF volition wage homage to the top showman of Indian cinema, Raj Kapoor. We received 1,500 movie entries, retired of which 150 films from 81 countries person been selected for screening. The festival includes categories specified arsenic World Competition, Marathi Competition, Global Cinema, Marathi Cinema, and Indian Cinema,” helium said.

He besides addressed concerns regarding the authorities of Marathi cinema. “Marathi cinema is facing challenges owed to the emergence of OTT platforms. This is an important contented that volition beryllium discussed during the festival.”