IFFI 2017: Sridevi inaugurates Indian Panorama section as Day 2 goes off without a hitch

After the eventful (and goof-up filled) inauguration ceremony attended by stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sridevi, Rajkummar Rao and Radhika Apte and the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) minister Smriti Irani, Day 1 of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) commenced on 20 November in Panaji, Goa.

Day 2 of the celebrated film festival was also majorly marked by inaugurations of various sections of the festival: Indian Panorama, which was at the centre of much debate this year with the exclusion of the Malayalam film S Durga and Marathi drama Nude from the competition by the I&B ministry; and the Bioscope Village, an initiative by the Entertainment Society of Goa, that will screen films free of cost.

Bollywood superstar Sridevi was present to inaugurate the Indian Panorama section, which went off without a hitch — Marathi filmmakers were expected to protest at the venue over the exclusion of the two films from the line-up.

Following the I&B ministry's decision to oust S Durga and Nude from the festival, the jury chairperson Sujoy Ghosh and members Apurva Asrani and Gyan Correa had resigned from their posts.

Sridevi at the inauguration ceremony of Indian Panorama section during IFFI 2017. Image via Facebook

Bollywood filmmaker Rahul Rawail was then roped in as a replacement for Ghosh as the new jury chief. He was present at the inauguration ceremony along with other members of the jury, including Ruchi Narain, Tuhinabha Majumdar, Jacob Benjamin and Nikkhil Advani.

Sridevi, in her brief speech, lauded the work of the jury in selecting the movies. "The films have been chosen by the esteemed jury having worked in various industries over the last 50 years. This segment is something I am really excited about. It is my pleasure to declare the Indian Panorama 2017 officially open," Sridevi said.

Indian Panorama section has 26 feature and 16 non-feature films in the line-up. Hindi feature film Pihu by Vinod Kapri opened the feature category while Kamal Swaroop's Pushkar Puran kickstarted the non-feature section.

Actress Shraddha Kapoor was present along with her aunt and yesteryear actress Padmini Kolhapure to inaugurate the Bioscope Village section of the festival. Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai also marked his presence with both these actresses to open this special section.

From left: Shraddha Kapoor, Subhash Ghai and Padmini Kolhapure at the inauguration of Bioscope Village during IFFI 2017. Image via Twitter

An initiative by Entertainment Society of Goa, Bioscope Village, with a theme of New Age Cinema, will consist of four inflated theatres with 5.1 sound system, where screenings will be held every day till 27 November. Some classic films such as Half Ticket, Golmaal and Mr India will be shown at the Digiplex, along with English counterparts such as Seven Samurai and Bicycle Thieves. These films would be open to public without any entrance fee.

"This is a great initiate by IFFI to bring those people to theatre who can't afford to buy a ticket worth Rs 400. It is a great concept to introduce our new generation to classic cinema," Ghai said at the event.

(With inputs from agencies)