Rajkumar Hirani wins Best Director for Sanju at festival
Australia is a key foreign market for Indian cinema, given that Indians make up one of the largest migrant communities in the country, but today, even the non-diaspora population is taking a growing interest in what Indian movies have to offer, said IFFM director Mitu Bhoumick Lange at the opening of IFFM in Melbourne this August.
“The government is being so supportive to this festival. It’s a partnership with the Victorian government and a fantastic way of engaging with India,” added Lange.
The IFFM award night took place on 12 August where India’s diverse culture was very much a part of the awards celebration with the beats of dhol, performers dressed in traditional Indian classical attire, Oddisi dance, Bhangra and more from the local communities being the highlights of the evening.
Actor Rani Mukerjee walked away with two honours at IFFM and was also bestowed an Excellence in Cinema award for her brilliant performance in Hichki, where she played a woman with Tourette Syndrome.
Rajkumar Hirani won the Best Director for his film Sanju, a biopic of the life of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. Vicky won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Kamili in Sanju, and Richa Chadda won the jury’s heart with her performance in the movie Love Sonia. She also gave away the IFFM Heroes award, which celebrates real life heroes.
The jury members for the fest were Simi Garewal, Sue Maslin, Jil Bilcock, Geoffrey Wright, and Nikkhil Advani.
Wright, known for his Russell Crowe-starrer Romper Stomper, said he was “highly impressed by Indian cinema”. He also said that Indian cinema is growing fast and giving variety to the world of cinema.
Actor Ali Fazal, who was on the jury of the short film competition, chose To-Let as the Indian winner and Found, themed on Islamophobia, as the winner from Australia.
Composer Sachin-Jigger mesmerized Melbourne audience with their fantastic performances at the award night. Rani Mukherjee hoisted the Indian flag at Federation square, which also became the stage for dance competition. IFFM ended on 22 August.
Donate To The Indian Sun
Dear Reader,The Indian Sun is an independent organisation committed to community journalism. We have, through the years, been able to reach a wide audience especially with the growth of social media, where we also have a strong presence. With platforms such as YouTube videos, we have been able to engage in different forms of storytelling. However, the past few years, like many media organisations around the world, it has not been an easy path. We have a greater challenge. We believe community journalism is very important for a multicultural country like Australia. We’re not able to do everything, but we aim for some of the most interesting stories and journalism of quality. We call upon readers like you to support us and make any contribution. Do make a DONATION NOW so we can continue with the volume and quality journalism that we are able to practice.
Thank you for your support.
Best wishes,
Team The Indian Sun
