MANOHAR “HOUDINI” PARRIKAR has pulled off the Goan rope trick. As he had promised and threatened he has bulldozed the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) infrastructure in place in double quick time. To give the devil his due no Chief Minister in Goa has managed to complete projects of the magnitude of the multiplex and the renovated Kala Academy in as short a period as Manohar Parrikar has been able to do. And at least part of the infrastructure specific to the International Film Festival such as the new Patto Bridge, the road widening and the promenade are also in place.

  Except that there is no guarantee that Goa will be the permanent venue for the International Film Festival of India. The Union Minister for Information, Jaipal Reddy, made it clear that the Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the Goa government was only for holding the International Film Festival in 2004. In reply to a question at a press conference, Reddy virtually censured the state government, admitting that there were “organizational, administrative and managerial problems.” This despite the fact that now even the Congress party which was vehemently opposed to Goa being the permanent venue for the IFFI has had a change of mind. The consequences is that if the Centre decides that Goa will not be the permanent venue for IFFI, the only beneficiary of IFFI 2004 will be INOX and all the contractors who were paid inflated rates for jiffying up IFFI.

Purely in terms of quantity the targets specific to the international film festival have been achieved. Never mind all the carping critics like the GOAN OBSERVER and various citizen groups who have been pointing out that the Patto bridge was thrown open to the public without the mandatory load test being carried out. Never mind that the tiles have been just placed symmetrically on the pavements and in several instances have not even been cemented properly. Never mind that in the frantic haste with which the projects were bulldozed through quality may have been compromised. Only time will tell whether the infrastructure created for IFFI will stand the test of time or even one monsoon.

CM APOLOGISES

At the inaugural function Manohar Houdini Parrikar had in his moment of triumph was compelled to acknowledge and admit for the first time that residents of Panjim and the citizens of Goa had been put to considerable inconvenience by IFFI in a Jiffy. The acknowledgement and the apology for the inconvenience was partly perhaps provoked by the fact that the chief guest for the evening the veteran film actor Dilip Kumar arrived late because he got caught in a traffic jam.

Manohar Parrikar did not specifically apologise for the inconvenience caused to Panjimites and the citizens of Goa by the closer of the entire stretch of road from the Panaji ferry wharf to Bal Bhavan at Campal. And whether it was really necessary to keep the road closed for ten days. In fact I understand that this was among the many illegal orders that the former DGP Amod Kanth refused to concur with. Manohar Houdini Parrikar also did not specifically apologise to the residents of Machado Cove and all the plush housing colonies in Dona Paula for converting the entire area into a smoke chamber. By virtue of the fact that illegally and unlawfully the contractor supplying all the Bitumen and Tar for the roads paving set up a manufacturing facility opposite the International Centre which has been belching black noxious smoke over a fortnight now.

COLOURFUL START

But to give the devil his due the international film festival got off to a very colourful if stormy and tumultuous start. An hour behind schedule at 6.30 pm on the scheduled date 29th November, 2004.  An inaugural function which was by the Sangh Parivar for the Sangh Parivar and of the Sangh Parivar. One would have presumed that at least delegates and the media would have automatically been eligible for an invitation for the inaugural function. But apparently 400 invitations for the inaugural function for the 900 seater auditorium at Kala Academy were hijacked by the Chief minister’s office and by the Chairman of the Coordination committee for IFFI  and the North Goa Member of Parliament , Shripad Naik. So much so forget about ordinary delegates even members of the steering committee like Shabana Azmi and her writer husband Javed and Bobby Bedi who has been the driving spirit of IFFI in Goa could not find seats.

When I visited the Kala Academy complex around 5.45 pm the gates to the complex were shut and even people with invitations to the inaugural function were not being allowed in. Forget about the invitees even delegates and media persons were not being permitted entry into the complex by the private security guards employed by the Kala Academy.

Thanks to a friendly senior officer who shall remain unnamed because like Amod Kanth his post may also be kept in abeyance, I managed to get entry into the complex. But not into the auditorium as only one invitation was extended to every media organisation by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) which was in-charge of media invitation. It stands to the credit of Anuradha  Sheshadari  that she stood by the principle of just one pass for each media organisation.

LEFT OUT

As if this was bad enough there were over 200 delegates including leading film producers who were standing outside the main entrance to the Kala Academy auditorium which was surrounded by CRP men sporting guns. Those left out in the cold included several foreign delegates. Even senior media representative Sanjay Banerjee, The times of India correspondent who managed to get entry into the auditorium discovered that the seats meant for journalists were occupied by friends, relatives, wives, girl friends and children of Sangh Parivar activists and those considered close to Sangh Parivar heavy weights. The Sangh Parivar faithfuls were distributed strategically all over the auditorium and on cue burst into tremendous applause when the chief minister came on to speak. Not even Dilip Kumar or Mani Ratnam got the kind of applause that Manohar Parrikar got. Earlier in the day Jitendra Desprabhu, the Congress spokesperson, only half in jest told media persons at the Congress office that Sangh Parivar activists were rehearsing a slogan. The slogan being “ Jai Manohar Maharaj” on the lines of Jai Bhavani or Jai Shivaji Maharaja.

There were no invitations for the media. There were no invitations for delegates including VIP delegates. But on Monday around 2 pm when all the telephone lines between various editors in Goa were buzzing over the denial of passes to editors, a gentleman running an advertising agency close to the ruling party walked into the Goan observer office. When I bemoaned the fact that neither me nor any of the editors had yet received an invitation for the inaugural ceremony he triumphantly pulled out not one but four invitations. One for himself. One for his wife. And two for his teenage daughters. The irony was that most of the Sangh Parivar invitees walked out of the auditorium after the entertainment show comprising of a brief concert by A  R Rehman and an item number by Isha Sherwani. By the time the inaugural film “Vanity Fair” started half the auditorium was empty.

Many wannabes desperate for invitations got theirs by default. They got their invites because several congress MLAs who had been invited  decided to boycott the inaugural function. Surprise, surprise even the closest collaborator and accomplice of Manohar Parrikar the distinguished Leader of Opposition (LOO) who also happens to be the chairman of the Kala Academy boycotted the inaugural function. Possibly Pratapsing Raoji Rane was told that he could attend the inauguration but Vijayadevi and her friends and his son Vishwajeet and his son-in-law could not be accommodated. Hell has never known as much fury as Vijayadevi scorned.

CONGRESS PROTEST

The Congress or at least the section of the Congress which has some pretensions of being part of the opposition in fact almost sabotaged the inaugural function. A section of the congress opposition led by Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes and cheered on by former Chief Minister, Ravi Naik, almost scuttled the inaugural function. By organising the 300 hundred strong protest march at the Sinquerim circle threatening to blockade the cars of the VVIPs invited for the inaugural function. Apparently most of the VVIPs did not want to take the risk of being ferried by speed boats to the festival venue. The Congress MLA from Calangute who organized the protest was demanding that the Parrikar government should at least spare a little time and attention to strengthen the infrastructure of water and power in the very highly populated tourist district of Bardez which includes the Calangute, Candolim Baga. Manohar Parrikar who normally is indifferent to protest and morchas abjectly surrendered, invited Agnelo Fernandes and company for an urgent meeting and promised to meet their demands instantly. Many Congress stalwarts also boycotted the dinner hosted by the Union Minister for Information Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday night at Cidade de Goa.

But not all Congressmen boycotted the inaugural function. In fact the suspicion that several congressmen were secret collaborators and possibly potential defectors stood exposed at the inaugural ceremony. The collaborators who were conspicuous by their presence at the inaugural function was Alex Sequeira the MLA from Loutolim, Babu Kawlekar who was expected to do an Isidore and Francis Silveira who has strong sympathies for the saffron brigade. Of course there was Harish Zantye who is still probably waiting for the promised loan of Rs 3 crore each for his decrepit theatres. The fact that Dayanand Narvekar is now the honorary member of the BJP was reinforced by his presence with his family at the inaugural function. It will be recalled that Dayanand Narvekar was the only Congress MLA who attended the inauguration of the multiplex complex at the old GMC.

The citizens of Campal or atleast some of them ironically led by Ajit Sukhija also demonstrated their chamchagiri by issuing a statements that Campal residents who have been subjected to the greatest torture supported and welcomed the IFFI. Never mind the son Jack Sukhija had filed a complaint against the RSS thugs who had vandalised street signs and plaques of houses including that the Panjim Inn the property owned by Ajit Sukhija. But unlike residents of Campal residents of other parts of Panjim and indeed other parts of Goa are asking a simple question. If IFFI infrastructure can be put in place in six months or is it three months why is the Siolim bridge not ready after 12 years? Residents of Dona Paula and tourists visiting Dona Paula are asking when the barricades along the jetty which were pulled down more than four months ago will be restored? Residents of Goa as a whole are asking why Manohar Houdini Parrikar the superman who can convert Goa if not into Cannes at least into Bollywood in 180 days cannot ensure safe potable drinking water and uninterrupted power supply?

I do not know about the residents of Panjim or the people of Goa. But all the big daddies of Bollywood are delighted with the film festival. Not necessarily because they think the film festival has been organized fantastically. Not necessarily because they are happy with all the arrangements for the film festival. But as Vishu Chopra the producer of Munnabhai MBBS put it so succinctly “IFFI in Goa is a release from Babudom in Delhi.” The movie moghuls Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Yash Johar et al are very happy with the Chief Minister. Who unlike other chief minister’s has been fawning all over them. And since babus in Goa have become specialists in cringing and crawling and prostrating, the Bollywood biggies have had it so good.

THUMBS UP

Bollywood veterans whether it is Shabana Azmi or Shyam Benegal have given the thumbs up to Goa as the permanent venue for the international film festival. Where else can you take a break and wander off for a walk on the beach? The festive atmosphere so desperately sought to be contrived by Chief Managing Director Manohar Parrikar and Chief Executive Officer Sanjit Rodrigues may have left the locals cold. After all locals tend to see Carnivals every other day. But Bollywood is impressed. They like the atmosphere of fun and gaiety. The irony of it all is we thought the chief minister wanted to transform Goa from the land of feni and fun to an upmarket tourism destination. Which will showcase Bharatiya suskruti. But then if Bollywood wants fun then that is what the State will have to provide. The RSS sanchalak in Parrikar may not like it. But he will grin and bear it because for him IFFI is the crowning glory. It has made him a Bollywood star. He may even be offered a role to act in Yash Chopra’s next magnum opus. He will be one up on the Congress Chief Minister in Maharashtra whose son has acted in Naach. But then why not if a film can be titled Laloo prasad Yadav, why can’t we have  a film titled Manohar Maharaj.

PS: When we visited the media centre on Saturday two days before the inaugural ceremony the PIB officials were bitterly complaining about the quality of drinking water made available to them. An officer brought a plastic cup filled with water to the senior officer in-charge and pointed out that the water was not only muddy but crawling with germs. The senior officer directed him to file a police complaint. We don’t   know if a complaint was filed at least with the Food and Drugs Administration.

PPS: Diabetics beware. The Marriott which has got the catering order for running the Kala Academy canteen supplies sugar syrup with tea flavour for 20 rupees.

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