Festival of films on freedom movement begins

Movie buffs have an opportunity to relish patriotic films on topics ranging from the first war of independence in 1857 to Mahatma Gandhi's historic struggle as the Swatantrata Filmotsav, a festival of films on freedom movement, kicked off here Saturday.

The four-day festival will showcase 53 films including 43 documentaries.

Amid scores of schoolchildren, movie buffs and intelligentsia, Information and Broadcasting Minister P.R. Dasmunsi inaugurated the event at the Siri Fort Auditorium.

He said the festival will go a long way in inculcating patriotic values among youngsters. "This festivals will educate the young generation about the hardships faced by freedom fighters. Our Independence is heard earned," Dasmunsi said.

The minister also suggested the Films Division, the organiser of the fest, to produce two documentaries - on the Indian National Army (INA) trial relating Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the trial of Maharshi Aurobindo, a freedom fighter-turned-spiritual leader.

Sohrab Modi's black-and-white historical drama "Jhansi Ki Rani" and Bhanumurthy Alur's 21-minute documentary "1857 - The Beginning" were screened during the inaugural event.

Other feature films to be screened during the festival include Manoj Kumar's "Shaheed", Ketan Mehta's bio-pic on Sardar Patel "Sardar: The Iron Man of India", Chittrarth's "Shaheed Udham Singh", Jabbar Patel's "Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar" and Pamela Rooks' "Train To Pakistan".

Shyam Benegal's "Making of the Mahatma" and "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose - A Forgotten Hero" will also be shown along with Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning "Gandhi".

Speaking at the carnival, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit urged Delhiites not to miss the opportunity to watch some mesmerising movies about the freedom struggle.

"Life of our great freedom fighters as captured and presented by these movies will invoke patriotism in them and make them feel proud as Indians," Dikshit said.

Dasmunsi also lunched a quarterly magazine called Documentary Today by the Films Division.

The magazine would try to provide sufficient information available on documentaries, said Kuldeep Sinha, chief producer of Films Division.

Indo-Asian News Service