India’s I&B Minister Anurag Thakur took a while out to talk to the media forward of the grand opening ceremony of the 53rd version of the International Film Festival of India in Goa. Lauding SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’ for showcasing the “real abilities of Indian cinema”, Thakur recalled his dialog with an Australian minister and shared it with the media. 

“I recently met an Australian minister. He told me that he watched ‘RRR’ a couple of days ago and he really liked it. It feels so good to see how the film is now hailed as an international film. RRR not only did the business but also showed the real abilities of Indian cinema,” Anurag Thakur stated.

“Regional cinema and others who can’t get a platform anywhere else, reach Goa’s IFFI. Via this platform, they can reach corners of the world. The festival is also a market for buyers,” he added.

Speaking concerning the 2022 IFFI ceremony, the minister knowledgeable the media that this time folks from the remotest areas have participated and he’s excited to see their work.

“This year lots of premiers are happening here. Several new initiatives are taken. This time, 1000 entries came for the 75 Creative Minds. 75 creative minds were chosen from 10 fields. People from remote areas also participated. 75 creative minds is for those who used to feel scared of coming to Mumbai, now their requirements are being bridged, and opportunities are being provided for all to be able to participate in the mainstream film industry. This IFFI platform is not just for the Mumbai film industry but for people from across the nation to come together and work together,” Anurag Thakur shared.

The minister also spoke about making India a “international content material hub” and creating a collaborative ecosystem for India’s film industries to go global through its film market.

He said, “The IFFI is Asia’s largest movie competition and we’re within the 53rd version… We need to set up this as a platform the place eminent filmmakers, administrators, and artists of the nation and the world get a possibility to showcase their movies. We need to make India a world content material hub, be it for content material creation, co-production, filmmaking or capturing.”

The period drama helmed by Rajamouli created waves across the globe and turned out to be a blockbuster. The film starred Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in pivotal roles. According to reports, the film is estimated to have grossed $150 million worldwide by the end of its run at the box office.

IFFI 2022 is all set to kickstart in Goa today. It will run till November 28. The nine-day festival’s opening ceremony will be attended by several showbiz personalities including Ajay Devgn, Kartik Aaryan, Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Bajpayee, Suniel Shetty, Varun Dhawan, and Sara Ali Khan.

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