Bollywood flops at Osian film fest

New Delhi: The 8th Osian Cinefan Film Festival came to an end on Sunday in the Capital.

While the 10-day gala event covered 10 world premieres and over 100 films from 40 countries, Bollywood’s biggies only gave it a thumb’s down.

"We are not the festival that runs after stars," said Osian's Chairman Neville Tulli. Making up for the no-show were the likes of Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Suri and Juhi Chawla who gave away awards at the festival's closing ceremony.

"They just don’t call people from the mainstream cinema," said actor Sanjay Suri. "I am here," added actress Urmila Matondkar.

The event was attended by Bollywood’s yesteryear stars Shashi Kapoor and Simi Garewal for their screening of the 1972 film Sidhartha.

"I havn’t met Shashiji for the last many years. Watching this film was like a nice re-visitation for me," said Simi Garewal.

The award for best film in the Asian Category was given to The Bet Collector, a tale on trials of a Philippino bet collector.

In the Indian Category, Ramachandran PN's Cleansing Rites, based on Karnataka feudalism bagged the best film award and Girish Kaasravalli's In the Shadow of the Dog, on Kannadda family social values got the special jury award.

"Osian is a very nice platform and I am happy," said filmmaker Girish Kassravalli.

At its opening, the film festival showcased Pan Nallin's Valley Of Flowers, and played Jaffar Panahi's Iranian film Offside, about a bunch of female football fans, at the closing.

The high point of the festival remained the world premiere of Naseeruddin Shah's directorial debut Yun Hota To Kya Hota.

As far as the distribution and financial support for the festival films is concerned much remains to be done.

Founder and director Osian's-Cinefan Aruna Vasudev says they are working towards that.

"We have not heard from the distributor’s as yet. Let them come and realise that there is a huge audience for a different kind of cinema," she added.

These are lessons to be learnt for the organisers but for Delhiites Osian’s remain a cinematic feast to cherish.