Many eminent personalities including film writer Sanjay

Masoom and critic Deepak Dua were part of prog

Prayagraj, Nov 01 (HS): The International Prayagraj Film

Festival (IPFF) was held at Hotel Prayag Inn in Ashok Nagar under the joint

aegis of Madhubala Films and Rotary Prayagraj Sangam. This year, the festival

focused on cinema in Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Bundeli, and Braj languages, where

serious discussions were held on the state, direction, and future of regional

cinema.

Lamp Lighting and a Grand Welcome: The program began with

the lighting of lamps and Saraswati Vandana by the chief and special guests,

Madhubala Films Chairman Alok Malviya, and the event chairman. Following this,

event chairman Dr. Amit Tripathi greeted all the new guests with a welcome

address. Guests were welcomed with bouquets and shawls.

Eminent dignitaries graced the event: Renowned film writer

and screenwriter Sanjay Masoom was the chief guest. Special guests included

renowned film critic and journalist Deepak Dua and Rotary District Governor

Rotarian Poonam Gulati. Rotarian Poonam Gulati encouraged all art lovers and

youth present with her blessings and inspiring speech. During the ceremony,

talents associated with art, culture, and creative leadership were honored with

the Rotary Creative Leadership Awards.

Special discussion on regional cinema and speakers' thoughts:

In the afternoon session, a special discussion was held on the topic of

Cinema in Awadhi, Bundeli, Braj, and Bhojpuri. During the

discussion, Dr. Ranjit Singh congratulated the organizing committee for this

noble and historic effort, saying, Cinema in regional dialects is our

true cultural roots; preserving and providing a platform for them is

commendable.

Virendra Mishra, while expressing his best wishes,

highlighted the technical details of the film and said, Cinema is not

just entertainment, but a mirror of the society, hence authenticity in scenes

and dialogues is very important. Dr. Mrinal Kant Pandey, while wishing

the event a success, said, Such film festivals will prove to be a

milestone in giving a global platform to films made in local languages.

Panel Discussion: How to Watch Movies and Screenplays: After

lunch, the eminent personalities expressed their views in a panel discussion on

'How to watch movies'. Renowned film critic Deepak Dua, while praising the

organising committee, explained the perspective of watching a film, There

is a difference between the view of a common audience and that of a critic; we

should also understand the nuances of the film like its craft, lighting and

background score.

Rakesh Srivastava wished the grand event all the best and

speaking on cinematic grammar said, “Every shot of the film tells a new story,

the audience also needs to grasp this silent language of cinema.”

Second panel discussion on the topic 'Screenplay in Film': Chief

guest and renowned writer Sanjay Masoom congratulated the organizing committee

for this wonderful platform and, while teaching the tricks of film writing,

said that this is the city that transformed me from Sanjay Srivastava to Sanjay

Masoom. And such events should continue to be held in this city. He said,

The screenplay is the backbone of a film; if your script doesn't have

strong character conflicts and strong emotions, even the biggest star can't

save the film.

Dhananjay Chopra said, It's a matter of pride to have

such an event. A great screenplay is one that keeps the audience on the edge of

their seats and creates excitement in every scene.

Ratibhan Tripathi, while congratulating the organizing

committee, said, The dialogues should have the fragrance of the local

soil, only then any screenplay can become alive and immortal.

Cultural evening and closing ceremony: In the evening, Uday

Chand Pardesi and his group presented a beautiful cultural evening that

captivated the audience. The program concluded with a felicitation ceremony and

a vote of thanks. Alok Malviya, Chairman of Madhubala Films and Program

Chairman of International Prayagraj Film Festival and Secretary of Rotary

District played a key role in making this event successful.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi