Indian cinema triumphs over Bollywood

The 43rd edition of the much-celebrated International Film Festival of India (IFFI) could not have come at a better time, as the country celebrates 100 year of Indian cinema. Over three dozen regional Indian cinema have been lined up for domestic and international film lovers, with many featuring mainline and well-known Bollywood and regional faces. While it is a celebration of Indian cinema over popular Bollywood films, IFFI is also marred with the visible signs of a struggle for control between the BJP-led state government (host of IFFI) and the central government (controls planning and budget for IFFI).

Overall, 27 Indian films are being screened at the festival. These include Baandhon (Waves of Silence) in Assamese from celebrated film maker from Assam Jahnu Barua. Chitrangada (The Crowning Wish) in Bengali is directed by Rituparno Ghosh, another well-known name from West Bengal, while Deool (The Temple) in Marathi features Bollywood actor and director Nana Patekar and Mahesh Manjrekar. Similarly, Elar Char Adhyay (Four Chapters) has Paoli Dam, a known Bollywood and Bengali cinema actress. Raima Sen, another well-known face of both Bengali and Hindi cinema, features in a couple of movies, as does model-turned actor Milind Soman.

Talking at the event, veteran film actor and a well-known face of Indian cinema around the world,

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