Srinagar: From Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sriram Raghavan, Imtiaz Ali to Pankaj Tripathi, some of the biggest names from Hindi cinema attended the first International Film Festival of Jammu and Kashmir.
The second day of the festival featured a masterclass by Raghavan, known for his thrillers such as “Ek Haseena Thi”, “Andhadhun” and “Badlapur” as well as war drama “Ikkis”.
Among the prominent filmmakers and artists who thronged the maiden international film festival in J&K were producer-director Ramesh Sippy, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Taha Shah Badussha, playback singers Sunidhi Chauhan, Usha Uthup and Palak Muchhal.
Celebrated cinematographer Santosh Sivan, sound designer Baylon Fonseca, and cinematographer Anil Mehta also attended the movie gala.
After a grand inaugural ceremony on Monday evening by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, 70 films including short-films and documentaries were screened on the second day of the festival on Tuesday.
“Laila Majnu” and “Mirzapur: The Movie” were screened at Inox, while Raghavan’s “Ikkis” was screened at both the Inox as well as the Waves Cinema Jammu.
The festival also saw the screening of international titles such as “The Last Rites” from Malaysia, “Sudden Rise” and “And the God who is close” from Iran, acclaimed Portuguese filmmaker Sofia Bost’s “Stone Beach”, “Tugas Sedih Yang Panjang” and “The Stiff Fingers” from Indonesia, “Somos Agua” from (Mexico), “Simsim” from Jordan, “To the West, in Zapata” from Cuba, “Family Party” from Belgium among others.
“Arzoo”, a 1965 romantic drama starring Rajendra Kumar, Sadhana and Feroz Khan in lead roles, will be screened at the floating cinema in the famous Dal lake here on Tuesday evening. A major portion of the movie, a major musical hit of its era with songs such as “Chhalke Teri Aankhon Se”, “Aji Rooth Kar”, “Bedardi Balma” and “Ae Nargis-e-mastana”, was shot in Kashmir.
