Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : “The soul of India is immortal and any temporary turn of events cannot destroy it. A few elections and a handful of people cannot change the country’s ancient culture, which is the true spirit of Hindustan”, said Padma Bhushan Javed Akhtar.
Mr. Javed Akhtar was speaking in an exclusive interview on the second day of the 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival. The interview was conducted by noted film director, Jayprad Desai. Apart from the enlightening interview of Mr. Akhtar, the day was also full of other interesting events including a masterclass by renowned film Director, R. Balki.
Mr. Akhtar further said that the hero of the sixties films came from a humble background. He was very much a taxi driver, rickshaw puller, labourer or teacher. Nowadays the picture has changed. Today’s heroes belong to rich families. They have nothing to do with the political and social situation of the country. So today’s films don’t deal with political themes or even social issues, they revel only in personal stories.
Language is not just a means of communication, Mr. Akhtar said, it’s a river flowing with the water of culture. Cutting a people from their language is like cutting the roots of a tree. If we lose our language we also lose our culture and our stories. But unfortunately, today people who do not understand the importance of a language are making decisions about it.
Narrating his experience of visiting the World Heritage Site of Ellora Caves, Mr. Akhtar said, I am deeply moved by watching the glorious sculptures of Ellora Caves. I feel so sorry and wonder why I didn’t come to see it earlier. I can say for sure that people who created this mesmerizing piece of art made it out of passion and not for the sake of money. Generations after generations pursued this passion. We cannot even comprehend their commitment and dedication. However, if we can absorb even a thousandth of their passion and tenacity, we transform this nation into heaven.
Famous film director Anubhav Sinha, Founder-Chairman AIFF Organizing Committee Nandkishor Kagliwal, Vice-Chancellor of MGM University Dr. Vilas Sapkal, Festival Director Ashok Rane, Artistic Director Chandrakant Kulkarni, Convener Nilesh Raut, Poet Dasu Vaidya and a large number of film enthusiasts and citizens were present on this occasion.
R. Balki’s Masterclass received overwhelming response from the audience
Along with the screening of many acclaimed films, an interesting line of events were also organized on the second day of the 9th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival. This also included a Masterclass by R. Balki, Director of films like Paa, Chini Kam, Ghumar, Shamitabh and Padman. The Masterclass received an overwhelming response from aspiring students of filmmaking, film enthusiasts and film lovers. The Masterclass was moderated by Director Dyanesh Zoting. Before that R Balki’s film Ghumar was screened.
