New Delhi, Delhi, India

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne closed amidst much pomp and splendour on Wednesday.   Rohena Gera’s 'Sir', which recently had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, was screened at IFFM on its closing night, ending the largest film festival in the southern hemisphere on a high note.

Starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber in the lead, 'Sir' revolves around the lives of Ratna and Ashwin, a maid who works for the latter, a young man belonging to a wealthy family. When the two make a connection, it leads to barriers between them seeming more insuperable. The film was received fantastically by the Australian audience and was lauded for tackling a sensitive topic. Tillotama’s performance as Ratna especially received rave reviews. 

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Shome who was present at the screening said, " ' Sir' handles a subject matter that is delicate and the audience in Melbourne embraced it with great warmth. I missed Rohena and Vivek a lot. The questions were varied and many. The one that sticks, is a gentleman from Africa who asked how can one do away with such man-made divisions. He has personally experienced deep racism and the film's exploration of a deep class divide, a kind of modern-day slavery resonated with him. Inclusion begins for me by taking a deep look at my own prejudices and not giving in to the roles that I am accustomed to or supposed to play. Such slow, tectonic shifts can be realized by personal revolutions within us. There is no shortcut, we have been playing the divide and rule game for too long. I am culpable and unless I don't recognize it, I cannot begin to create an inclusive world".

The 12-day celebration of Indian cinema screened an array of films, from Bollywood films like 'Sanju' and 'Hichki' to regional films like' Mahanati' and 'Jonaki'. Right from the Flag Hoisting Ceremony to the Awards Night, the festival saw a range of emotions and enthusiasm from the guests and the audience alike. Rani Mukerji won the award for Best Actress for a fabulous performance in the critically acclaimed ' Hichki' while Manoj Bajpayee bagged the award for Best Actor for his chilling performance in 'Gali Guliyan'. 

Melbourne saw the biggest stars gracing the city, from Rani Mukerji to Malaika Arora, Vicky Kaushal, Ali Fazal, Richa Chadha, Keerthy Suresh and many more.