Day 7 of the world’s first Hybrid International Film Festival by educational institutions of two countries organized by DME Media School of Delhi Metropolitan Education, Noida, India in association with the School of Communications and Creative Arts, Deakin University, Australia, celebrated the cinema of noted film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Shyam Benegal and discussed how Bollywood song and dance compositions have hit the international shores and made their mark in the international community
Day 7 of CIFFI 2021 saw the screening of 45 movies under the animation category on the official CIFFI website.
The seventh day of CIFFI 2021 began with the masterclass on ‘Shyam Benegal: The Master Storyteller’ conducted by Dr Vivek Sachdeva, film expert, author and professor at GGSIP University.
Introducing the master class, Dr Ambrish Saxena, Festival Director CIFFI 2021, said, “Shyam Benegal represented India in its essence while depicting the socio-economic and political reality of the country. His cinema represented the oppressed and the suppressed,” he said.
While speaking about Shyam Benegal, who pioneered parallel cinema in the country, Dr Vivek Sachdeva described him as the tallest of all the great cinematic personalities of the country. “Shyam Benegal narrated his story with powerful visuals. Through his cinema Benegal demystified the notion of truth as linear and unified phenomena,” he said.
Dr Sachdeva reviewed the work of Bengal through some of his landmark movies like Manthan, Zubeidaa, Nishant, Bhumika, Sardari Begum, Ankur which set a benchmark in the Indian cinema.
Concluding the session, Dr Susmita Bala, Professor and Head, DME Media School and Festival Associate Director, CIFFI 2021 said that contribution of Shyam Benegal would always be remembered across the globe. “His work is still relevant in today’s era”, she added.
The masterclass was followed by a Panel Discussion on ‘Creating & Performing Bollywood Music and Dance in Australia’. The discussion was moderated by Kamini Sabherwal, an Australian-Indian bi-lingual actor, and co-moderated by Dr. Vikrant Kishore, Festival Director, CIFFI 2021.
The panel comprised of eminent experts from the field of dance and performing arts including Shyama Sasidharan, Founder – Prakalpa Samskruti, Performing Artiste, Chris Mallika Bhadra, Founder of Ananda Dance Group, Melbourne, Natasha Baweja, Founder – NB Dance, Australia and Kunal Sachdeva, an Indian singer based in Australia.
Natasha Baweja said that demand for Bollywood Music and Dance has increased manifold in Australia. “Bollywood songs and dance are not confined to mere South-Asian communities. Even the local white population of Australia is equally enamored by Bollywood song and dance,” Baweja added.
Chris Mallika Bhadra said that there is a lot of scope for Indian Dance and Music. “Dance as an art form can be used to create awareness against social evils,” Chris added.
Kunal Sachdeva, a singer said that the road to fame is not easy. Cancellation of shows at the pretext of the moment can be discouraging and disheartening.
Shyama Sasidharan of Prakalpa Samskruti said that Indian Dance and Music in Australia is popular. “Local audience has played a major role in highlighting Indian Classical Dance in Australia. Indian classical dance as a performing arts has attracted many local Australians who have shown interest in pursuing it, “ Shyama Sasidharan added
Concluding the session, Dr Susmita Bala, Professor and Head, DME Media School and Festival Associate Director, CIFFI 2021 said that Bollywood is full of challenges and has lots of
opportunities simultaneously. “One needs to be creative in this field to achieve heights,” Dr Bala added.
