Indian Film Festival of Melbourne gets going

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne got off to a flying start yesterday that is commemorated as the day when Dadasaheb Phalke screened his first film Raja Harischandra in 1913, with a special tribute to Yash Chopra. The festival will screen over 60 films in the span of 20 days. To start with, 15 Indian classics including Pather Panchali, Sholay, Achut Kanya and Garam Hawa will be screened in a bid to capture the glorious journey of Indian cinema. The opening day festivities was attended by Louise Asher, State minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business, festival ambassador Vidya Balan and celebrities like Simi Garewal, Farah Khan, Prabhudeva, Girish Kumar and Kabir Khan. Said Asher in a statement, "Last night, I had the honour of presenting an award to Pamela Chopra on behalf of late Yash Chopra, for his contribution to world cinema. In honouring Yash Chopra, the festival will feature a retrospective of his work and some of his most beloved classics including screening his final film Jab Tak Hai Jaan.” The festival kicked off with a screening of Raja Harishchandra. Meanwhile Tips Industries’ Ramaiya Vastavaiya is to be screened at the festival where director Prabhudheva will introduce the film’s lead- Girish Kumar to the audiences.The director-actor duo will be present at a special press conference to talk about the film. The festival will conclude on 22 May.