Cinema 100 at Whistling Woods International (Day 1)

The Cinema 100 event at Whistling Woods saw stalwarts from the Bollywood film industry gather and talk about the medium that has enthralled Indian audiences for a century.

Renowned directors Gauri Shinde, Anurag Basu, Amole Gupte and Vikramaditya Motwane stepped out from behind the camera to share industry trade secrets in a rapid-fire session moderated by well-known film critic, Mayank Shekhar, during the first day of Cinema 100 at Whistling Woods International. Captivating an enthusiastic crowd, the directors bantered back and forth on iconic films that changed the way Indian films are made. They enthralled audiences with amusing anecdotes about their humble industry beginnings and mused aloud on how cinema will change in the next 100 years.

Ravindra Jain, Anuradha Paudwal, Sameer Sen and Ismail Darbar in the music panel spoke about how integral music to any film and how through its meaning and flavour a film comes alive.

The audience was then treated to an enlightening discussion between Subhash Ghai, Salim Khan and Ajum Rajabali on the perks and drawbacks of being a screenwriter within the industry. With a brief summarisation of the evolution of screenwriters and a mention of the recent Film Writers’ Movement, this rapid-fire panel discussion left the audience enthralled. They were fascinated to learn the inner workings of the screenwriting industry. The engaging session also entailed a discussion of the elements crucial in creating a good script.

Vishal Bhardwaj, renowned director, spoke to a captivated audience at Cinema 100 on his multifaceted journey through the film industry, from sports to music to filmmaking. He spoke of Manmohan Desai’s and Gulzar’s influence in his work. He also spoke on the importance of culture is creating a good film. Engaging the audience, he listed the milestones in Indian cinema that made him proud to be part of such a fraternity. “Bandit Queen was the last milestone of Indian Cinema. Mera Naam Joker would have changed trends in Indian Cinema, if it had been successful.” he stated.

In an enlightening session, Amrit Gangar, film historian, spoke about the evolution of the Indian film industry over the past 100 years with an exclusive screening of his film 100 years of Fortitude. He spoke of the strength of the Indian film industry and its potential to be the biggest film industry in the world. “The resilience of the Indian film industry cannot be measured. In the past 100 years, it has established a global foothold that rivals even Hollywood. In the past, Hollywood has overshadowed European cinema and other global cinema but the Indian film industry remains strong. During the recent economic slowdown, the Indian film industry witnessed a strong 7% growth,” he concluded.

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