Just three years on from Melbourne’s lockdowns, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2024 is back on top, drawing formidable crowds and delivering blockbuster attendees. Running 15 years strong, IFFM 2024 had Bollywood fever erupting all over the Garden State, and this time around, even in Capital Hill.
Perhaps the most memorable albeit unofficial start to a festival in recent memory, actor Rani Mukerjee and filmmaker Karan Johar visited Parliament House, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in attendance.
What seemed like it’d be an address to the House of Representatives was instead simply a keynote speech from Rani and KJo within the Parliamentary walls; not quite PM Modi level, but a testament to the festival’s colossal impact on the Australia-India relationship regardless.
Mukerjee launched a commemorative stamp marking Yash Chopra’s fifty years of contribution to Indian cinema; though not a general release stamp, it was a fitting tribute to a generation defining filmmaker and patron of IFFM.
The following day saw IFFM 2024 launch officially with the long-awaited world premiere of their ‘My Melbourne’ project. A red-carpet affair coinciding with India’s 77th Independence Day, sparks of inclusion were in the air, the film showcasing diversity across race, gender, sexuality and disability.
The IFFM 2024 Awards night promised glitz and glamour, underpinned by star power from Ram Charan, Kartik Aaryan and Dr A R Rahman. But would it really be the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne if it wasn’t following that classic desi trait of starting everything late? Despite the best efforts of the hardworking red shirted festival team to keep things moving to schedule, it seems time is irrelevant if you’re a megastar adored by millions.
Dressed in his iconic neon boots and trademark Dhinawan feather and Murray [white cockatoo] crest, Mitch Tambo kicked off proceedings with a rousing rendition of ICEHOUSE’s ‘Great Southern Land’ in Gamilaraay language, a performance deserving of greater applause from a crowd eager for a glimpse of their ‘thalaiva’.
Other highlights included a powerful statement from Sona Mohapatra, who boldly and aptly addressed gender disparity and rape on stage, just days on from the outrageous murder of a Kolkata medical student. A cracking dance number from the Emotion 21 troupe set the room alight, and even Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts couldn’t help shaking a leg and cracking a joke amongst the jubilant atmosphere.
A characteristically shy Dr A R Rahman was awarded ‘Excellence in Cinema’, while ‘Best Performance’ went to Parvathy Thiruvothu for Ullozhukku (Female) and Kartik Aaryan for Chandu Champion (Male). The coveted ‘Ambassador for Indian Arts and Culture’ honour went to the illustrious Ram Charan; though understandably reluctant to break into his iconic Naatu Naatu in his all-black suit, he noted the milestone moment for South Indian cinema. Unfortunately, many of the stars on the night, including Ram Charan, were disrupted by hecklers and mobbed by fans baying for attention; one audience member even blocked Kartik Aaryan’s path to the stage, demanding a hug.
Known for his patriotic turn in ‘RRR’ and his charitable work during the pandemic, Ram Charan was an appropriate candidate to hoist the tricolour the following morning at Federation Square. Malaika Arora delivered effortless charm as the host of the dance contest, with surprise guest judge Peter Hitchener of Channel 9 News even showing us a few moves! Laksh Lalwani however, seemed perplexed as to his role, dishing out 10s left, right, and centre like some sort of Bollywood Oprah Winfrey.
That night, the worldwide premiere screening of Rohit Gupta’s documentary Headhunting to Beatboxing was a visually stunning triumph of storytelling, educating audiences about the rarely covered Nagaland region of India. It’s an important piece that’s sure to sweep the awards circuit; here’s hoping it gets a repeat screening when A R Rahman returns to our shores in October.
Then comes the ‘rest of the fest’; now that the stars have moved on and the big-ticket weekend is over, unfortunately, attendance is dwindling, with numerous screenings sadly near empty. This lack of momentum isn’t helped by overlapping time slots, inconveniently located cinemas and poor advertising.
IFFM 2024 however is still alive and kicking, with lots of fun still to be had; screenings of a variety of multilingual films, including centrepieces Mrs and Headhunting to Beatboxing will take place in Geelong, Shepparton and Bendigo, and the latest IFFM venture ‘Baari’, a comedy-panel-networking event all-in-one could prove to be a creatively stimulating night.
Boasting 65 films in 27 languages, including films by 21 female directors, there’s really no excuse not to get amongst the action. And for those of you who can’t leave the house, there’s IFFM365, where you can watch world-class cinema from the comfort of your own home, with proceeds going to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
So let’s not get blinded by the stars and forget what makes IFFM great is the films; there’s still a week full of terrific cinematic achievements with hardworking creatives who’d love our support.
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