Shillong, March 03: The first day of the Indian Panorama Film Festival was a treat for the senses with the opening function setting the tone for what promises to be one of the biggest events in Shillong’s history. Meghalaya Governor, Dr. K K Paul inaugurated the function in the presence of IPR Minister, Mr. A L Hek beside others
A beautiful cultural performance, involving dance and songs from around the state, at U Soso Tham Auditorium was warmly received by members of the public as well as the invited stars from Bollywood, including Kainaat Aurora, Bruna Abdullah and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, among others.
The film festival has been brought to the state by the Government of India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry in collaboration with the Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Meghalaya and the Directorate of Film Festivals.
In his speech as the chief guest, Dr. Paul said thate North East is a multi-shaded mosaic, adding that its interaction with the rest of the country is a vital issue and the role of film is important to the issue of cultural integration. What we need is a commercially successful North East film that has wide appeal over the whole country.
He also said that films are the most powerful form of expression in the media, bringing joy, laughter and tears to our eyes. These festivals not only give the opportunity to watch movies, but also to motivate talent to come up. They are also a source of learning. He further stated that Shillong has talent, there is music in the air and we have a beautiful environment with air that could put life into anything, he also encourage the film industry to take advantage of magnificent Meghalaya.
Earlier in the day, Minister of Information and Public Relations Shri AL Hek opened the photo exhibition on 100 Years of Indian Cinema at the State Convention Centre.
After the inaugural function at U Soso Tham Auditorium, the first film of the four-day event was screened – Dekh Indian Circus – in which Siddiqui is the lead actor.(SP News)
