Independent Goa Observer

The film festival is here. Never mind the price that the citizens of Goa and the residents of Panjim had to pay for IFFI in a jiffy. The price in terms of the huge inflated amounts spent on crating the infrastructure for the 10-day wonder. Which included a multiplex built at the tax payer’s cost and gifted to a private party. Aarvind Bhatikar has exposed the scam of the multiplex in a section of the GOAN OBSERVER. The chief minister has taken pride in completing the infrastructure on schedule or even ahead of schedule.

Yes the physical infrastructure specific to the film festival is in place. In terms of the buildings. But at the time of writing both the officials of the Directorate of Film festivals and the press information bureau were fuming. Forget about computers and internet connections the entertainment society of Goa and the GSIDC has not even been able to ensure clean portable drinking water to all the officials from Delhi who are working overtime to meet the deadlines.

Yes the roads have got broader. At least a stretch of road from Patto to the Kala academy complex. The rest of the stretch is still being done. The stretch from the Kala academy to the Miramar circle is still very much in a obstacle course. The work on the other parts of the infrastructure like the Dona Paula by-pass and the jetty have been put on hold. There will probably be taken up after the season is over. If there is any money left in the government kitty that is. On the by-pass dividers have gone. Instead there are bright yellow painted lines. Hi-tech lines drawn by a hi-tech machine. Even the barriers have not prevented drunken tourists from crashing into cars in the other lanes.

We do not know to what extent the painted yellow lines will help smoothen the flow of traffic. But from the common man’s point of view and that of the tourist, Panjim is looking bright and colourful. But the common man does not know that all the colour and the glamour is superficial. It is made up of third grade rouge and mascara and lip stick. The real grim truth about the quality of the various infrastructural works undertaken at the such beak neck speed will be evident only after the festival. May be one reason why the government has decided to close down the entire stretch of the road from the ferry to Miramar circle for all vehicular traffic for 10 days is that the shoddy work will be exposed.

The film festival is here. But neither Goans nor tourists visiting Goa during the next ten days will get to see any of the festival films. This will be sole privilege of the 2000-odd delegates and the 500- lot media personnel. But given the fact that the total capacity of the various auditoriums which will screen films is just around 2000, many delegates and media persons may not be able to see the films. The media cards issued specified that the card holders would have access to all festival venues subject to availability of space. It will be first come first serve. And considering the number of celebrities descending on Goa for the film festival and the fact that the main festival venue only has a capacity of 900 even delegates and the media may not be able to witness the inaugural function.

No doubt the entertainment society of Goa has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep the Janata happy. Films will be screened on the Miramar beach. But these will the old familiar pot boilers in English and Hindi which everyone has seen any number of times on their TV screens. And according tot ht Entertainment society there will be knife throwers and jugglers and face painters and tattoo artists and god know what else to keep the Janata entertained pacified and diverted. Indeed the side show threatens to over shadow the main event, the film festival. But who are we to complain if the Janata feels that the government of Manohar Parrikar has achieved the impossible by creating what appears to be a fantastic feat in an incredibly short period of time. But sooner of later the realisation will begin to dawn on the price Goa and Panjim has paid for the extravaganza called the film festival.

MOG ASSUM

RAJAN NARAYAN

GLOBAL GOAN

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