14TH YASHWANT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL INAUGURATED BY DR SHARAD PAWAR IN MUMBAI Exclusive By Jyothi Venkatesh

Addressing the audiences in the presence of chief guest Dr Sharad Pawar and his daughter Smt Supriya Sule at the Chavan Centre at Nariman Point in Mumbai, Dr Jabbar Patel, the Chairman & Director, Pune Film Academy as well as the Director, 21st Pune International Film Festival which was held recently in Pune, said that for the last four years he has been extending the annual Pune International Film Festival by screeninhg a few selected films at the Yasheant International Film Festival in Mumbai at Nariman Point. He added that all the films that will be screend in the festival this year are being premiered for the first time in Mumbai, followed by Nagpur, Chandrapur and last but not the least Latur

Dr Jabbar Patel added that it was the chief guest of this year Dr Sharad Pawar who had suggested that in a marked departure from naming the festival after a city, he should name it after the name of the first Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Dr Patel also proudly stated that Cannes had invited PIFF this year to Cannes, London and also Carlovivary International film Festivals as it was the only film festival in India which was being held as a satellite film festival in three more cities besides Pune year after year

Also, present on the dais besides Dr Jabbar Patel and Shri Sharad Pawar were Smt Supriya Sule, the talented daughter of Shri Sharad Pawar and the eminent filmmaker Shri Mahendra Teredesai who is the Executive Director of the Yashwant International Film Festival which is now being held at the Chavan Centre in two screens in Mumbai year after year.

Dr Jabbar Patel also added, "Sharad ji has always supported me right from the time when I could make my political film Simnhasan on a shoe stringed budget of just around four and a half lakhs in Marathi by letting me shoot in Mantralaya in Mumbai for the first and last time."

Supriya Sule stated that Cinema is now an integrated part and parcel of each of our lives and added that she considers it her personal loss that she could not take time out to watch a film in a theatre after the advent of Covid in Maharashtra and said that thanks to the phenomenal success of the film like Pathaan and film festivals like Pune International Film Festival and the Yashwant International Film Festival, Cinema cannot be dismissed off any more as inconsequential.

Supriya added, "Old is gold and still we sing yesteryear songs of actors like V.Shantaram, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor in our Antakshari programmes and concluded that Cinema does not have any border and festivals like The Yashwant International Film Festival are great innovations which remind us that Cinema is still ruling strong."

Dr Sharad Pawar released the catelogue of the Yashant International Film Festival of India with Supriya Sule and Dr Jabbar Patel in the presence of Shri Mahendra Teredesai after addressing the audiences in chaste Marathi, following which the opening film Holy Spider was screened besides a short film on the recently concluded 21st PIFF 2023.

Also read: ‘Madaar’ made by Badar steals the show at 21st Pune International Film Festival