[icernet] Films on the beach Futile bid to reproduce Cannes in Goa

[Arul Selvan]

Editorial - The Statesman

The Union information and broadcasting ministry’s decision to make Goa a
permanent venue for Indian film festivals is the culmination of attempts to
market Indian cinema abroad. Minister Sushma Swaraj had started the trend of
leading large delegations to the Cannes film festival in the hope of finding
buyers for popular Indian films. Ravi Shankar Prasad continues the trend
and, on his return from Cannes, suggested that Goa would make it an
attractive destination. The forgotten factor is that an Indian film
festival, wherever held, is not likely to become as compelling a draw as
Cannes, Berlin or Venice. There is no competition to begin with. The
attractions of the Goa beach cannot compensate for lack of infrastructure.
The state government has promised support but it is unlikely to be decisive.
Questionable also is the assumption that the Goa festival will open doors
for Indian films in the West. The market for Bollywood is confined almost
wholly to the Indian diaspora. It will continue to lap up films like Lagaan
and Devdas. The minister might have examined more closely the argument that
film festivals organised by his department have lost their relevance after
several state governments chose to launch festivals of their own. Regional
shows with identities of their own, may be more viable than the expensive
proposition of an Indian festival run by bureaucrats from Delhi. The cost to
the exchequer from the Goa festival will certainly exceed the returns. The
minister should think again.