Filmmaker Arvind Sinha slams Bollywood at IFFI: The film festival should be for good cinema

Documentary filmmaker Arvind Sinha marked his presence at the 54th International Film Festival of India ongoing in Goa. During his address at the film festival, the director questioned the presence of commercial Hindi films using the platform for promotion. He slammed the big Bollywood directors for misusing ‘public taxpayers' money’. However, the filmmaker’s remark did not sit well with the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association which retaliated with a strong retort. 

Arvind Sinha says film festivals should be for documentary filmmakers 

As per a report in PTI, Arvind Sinha made a few derogatory jabs against the Hindi film industry during his address at IFFI. The filmmaker said, “What is to be promoted (through IFFI) is good cinema. Bollywood has its own money, finance, muscle power, through all these things, they are getting into these spaces... (The people) who are making the decision should have clarity that public taxpayers money should not be spent on filmmakers like Karan Johar..”

The filmmaker further clarified that platforms like the film festival are meant to support smaller, documentary films. He continued, “They (IFFI organisers) have to support the documentary filmmakers, feature filmmakers who need support. There are no rajas-maharajas to support the artistes, the government should support any work of art…Why should these spaces be given to those who already have everything? They don’t need support from the government. What are they doing here? The film festival is not for them. The film festival should be for good cinema.” 

IFTDA condemns Arvind Sinha’s remarks, calls it ‘distasteful’ 

The remarks made by the documentary filmmaker did not go unnoticed by the Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association. The body responded with a strong statement against the filmmaker and slammed him for ‘denting the sincere’ efforts of IFFI. The statement read, “The speech of Chairperson, Indian Panorama non-feature film jury head, Mr Arvind Sinha, on the 2nd day of the opening ceremony of IFFI function in Goa, is distasteful, disgusting and disastrous, which had made Hon. Members of film fraternity a target of hate.”

In the statement, the body slammed the filmmaker for using disrespectful words against the film fraternity. The statement continued, “Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association strongly condemns the irresponsible statement of Mr Arvind Sinha, using the words ‘Bollywood Tamasha’ and ‘Nautanki’ for eminent Producers, Directors and Artists of the Film Industry. To say ‘The Film Festival is not for them’ has made a dent in the sincere efforts of our government to make the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, a highlight for filmmakers, distributors, artists, technicians and guests from the whole world. IFTDA pity the remarks of Mr. Arvind Sinha.” 

(With inputs from PTI)