The first International Film Festival at Nagpur ended amid much fanfare on Thursday. Film maker Rajkumar Hirani, who hails from the
city, was the centre of attraction during the closing ceremony held at Smriti cinema where films in the festival were screened. "The past one week has been filled with immense joy for all Nagpurians, and we hope to conduct many more such events in the future," said Sameer Naphde of Nirzar film society, which was instrumental in organizing the festival.
Apart from Rajubhai, as he was lovingly called by the people, there was also the new age villain Yashpal Sharma who left the audience in complete awe as he performed a couple of pieces from his dramas. "I am so glad that the youngsters today have such amazing platforms to showcase their work. If you want to be recognized by dignitaries like Hirani, this is the place."
Hirani recalled a couple of incidents from his young days which were spent in the city. "I remember, there were 7 am film shows in those days, and the films were released on Thursdays. It was a routine for us to bunk college to catch this morning show," he recalled. Speaking about the film festival, he said, "I can't begin to say how excited I was when I received a mail from Sameer, telling me that something like this has been organized in Nagpur." Kiran Shantaram, the scion of V Shantaram heritage and a film producer, who was present at this occasion, added, "On behalf of the film federation of India, I promise the audiences of Nagpur that this is just the beginning, and that we will bring such festivals every year."
The winners of the short film contest were announced on this occasion. The entries were from different the parts of the globe and so were the winners. The awards were separated into three categories, featuring directors from the city as well. Pranay Naidu was given the runner up award for `The Wet Afternoon' in the art category, while the runner up in the social causes category was awarded to A L Kulkarni for `Gath Eka Mhataryashi' who is also from Nagpur. Ashish Pande, who won the first prize for the film `The Cabin Man,' was not present to receive the award, but his parents receive the accolade on his behalf.
Speaking about the short films and the film festival, Hirani mentioned, "I was very happy to see more than 35 short film entries from Nagpur alone. I remember the day when I was asked about my favourite foreign film on the day of my interview with the film institute. I was left without an answer because there was no exposure in Nagpur at that time. I am glad that the city's young directors are exposed to the global fare. I will be very happy to help budding artists and contribute in every way to such festivals in the city."