CII honours veteran film historian B D Garga in Goa

Panaji, Nov 22 (UNI) It was a proud movement in the history of the International Film Festivals of India, today when the 83-year-old veteran film historian B D Garga was honoured here, on the eve of the 38th edition of the festival.

Mr Garga, brought to the podium in a wheel chair, was facilitated by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat at the behest of the Confederation of the Indian Industry (CII) on the sidelines of the pre-festival conference, on ''India-The Big Picture'' at the posh Goa Marriot beach resort.

''I belong to horse and carriage era when we used to beg and borrow finance for shooting films. But when I see the developments today, the money being invested in the film industry is mind boggling,'' said Mr Garga, with his choked voice to the industry barons.

''I will be too happy if these deveopments, besides fatening the bank balance of the individual film makers, help prosper the industry in the right manner and contributed much to the society,'' he quipped amid shooting of his pictures along with his wife and the dignitories at the podium.

The chief minister Mr Kamat and chairman of the CII National Films Committee Bobby Bedi recalled Garga's rich contribution to the Indian film industry including the film archives at Pune.

Director of the Directorate of Film Festivals Neelima Kapoor was also present on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion after releasing a copy of the CII-sponsored A T Kearney Study report on ''Transforming for Growth: Future of the Indian Media and Entertainment Landscape'', the chief minister acknowledged the role of the CII in making Goa as the permanent venue for the IFFI.

He maintained that Goa's contribution to the film industry and its personalities had been immense even as the government was trying to develop film culture in the tourist state in a big way with the entertainment industry going to play a tremendous role for the benefit of the society, particularly for the youth.

''The industry can fetch name, fame and money to the India besides benefitting the youth in a big way, he added.

Chief secretary J P Singh claimed that Goa had provided the IFFI with world class infrastructure as it believed in encouraging film talent and culture in the state.

Government's role as a regulator was to protect the public good without entering into private domain to ensure that the industry provided the people with the right content that promoted socio-economic change.

Earlier, Mr Saurine Doshi, partner, AT Kearney consultants, had presented the salient features of the study released later. The conference later discussed various aspects of the entertainment industry like the emerging finance options, digital entertainment, managing creative processes and emerging studio culture.

It will debate tomorrow new developments like media process outsourcing and creative content, new distribution patterns in media sector, new markets, opportunities for Indian entertainment business at the global level besides the big fight between the hollywood and the bollywood.

UNI