Shah Rukh Khan subtly addresses Padmavati row at IFFI 2017; says cinema is all about love
Shah Rukh Khan
'The essence of storytelling is incomplete if there is no story listener,'the actor said.
The 48th International Film Festival Of India (IFFI) opened at Panjim, Goa amid Padmavati controversy. The event saw I&B Ministry rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in the film industry and while most artistes avoided addressing the controversy, some did speak about the issue.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who opened the inaugural ceremony, spoke subtly about the importance of cinema and art, slyly addressing to raging issues at IFFI- the Padmavati controversy and the exclusion of two films from the festival.
"Sometimes we feel very happy watching films. Sometimes we dance along with the film. At other times we get angry disturbed, or agitated. That exactly is the magic of storytelling, a magic which has the power to touch all our senses and in doing so, actually binding us together," the actor said.
"The essence of storytelling is incomplete if there is no story listener. And I believe that storytellers and story listeners are or at least should be like a family. There is a word in Sanskrit. Vasudaiva Kutumbhakam. It means bringing the world together like a family. I believe no matter what your language is, no matter what country your story comes from, and no matter what your ideology is, story-telling and listening should be a familial experience which binds us together," the actor further added.
The actor's indirect message was delivered in the presence of I&B minister Smriti Irani, CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi and others.
IFFI 2017 has been in the news for some time now due to the Ministry's decision to drop Malayalam film S Durga and Marathi film Nude from the screening list. Owing to this sudden change, jury head, filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh resigned from his post last week.
Shahid Kapoor, who features in Padmavati with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh was also present at the inaugural function. Shahid categorically said that the film should not be held guilty without people watching it. " "It will be a precedent which I am not proud of if the film finds it difficult to release. I believe that the film will release. I believe that this process is difficult and like I said, I went through a similar process with Udta Punjab," the actor said.
The festival's inauguration also saw the presence of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, actress Sridevi and head of the competition's international jury Muzaffar Ali, among others.