This is just one of the many starry highlights of the film festival, which kick-starts in Goa today
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 20, 2018)

The 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), that flags off today in Goa, will be heavy on star power, engaging conversations and movies from across the world. Prasoon Joshi, lyricist, and the current chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), will conduct a session on the secret behind his soulful lyrics.

For the first time, Boney, Arjun and Janhvi Kapoor will come together for a session, which is titled ‘In Konversation…’ Talking about it, Boney says, “It didn’t take them much to convince me to have this fun, heart-to-heart chat with both my kids, Arjun and Janhvi. I have a lot of questions to ask them, about films, their choices and the works. They are both doing well and have made me proud. I have never had such a chat with my kids on a public platform; I am looking forward to it and so are they. I just hope Arjun makes it for the session. He has a busy shoot schedule for a period film, but I am hoping he will be there.”

Rhea Kapoor, too, will interview dad Anil Kapoor in a lighter vein. David and Varun Dhawan’s conversation has been titled Dha-One, and will be moderated by writer Rumi Jaffery. Chitrangda Singh, Jim Sarbh, Diana Penty, Rakul and Kriti Sanon have also been invited to anchor conversations on different subjects. Rahul Bose, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajshri Deshpande, Divya Dutta and producer Nila Madhab Panda are slated to be a part of a session on redefining storytelling.

Arijit Singh, who debuts as a director with the film Sa (to be screened at IFFI), will talk about hitting the right notes as a playback singer. Directors Shoojit Sircar, Ramesh Sippy and Shaad Ali are also expected to engage with delegates on various subjects. Says Shoojit, “Since I am only going there for a day, I may not have time to watch the films that are being screened, but I am really looking forward to meeting a whole bunch of new and enthusiastic filmmakers. I will be discussing films like October, Pink and Madras Cafe. I will also touch upon my technique of putting a film together from concept to execution and exhibition.”

Shaad shares, “Apart from talking about sports biopics and my film Soorma, I will relive some childhood memories. I have been to IFFI since the time I was a child, as my father (Muzaffar Ali) was on the jury. From watching other people’s films to coming here with my film, life has indeed come a full circle.”

Recent years have seen an increasing number of women directors make their presence felt in Bollywood. Meghna Gulzar, Leena Yadav and Gauri Shinde’s discussion on this is expected to be the highlight of the film festival. Apart from this, South stars Venkatesh, Suresh Babu and Rana Daggubati will be a part of a chat titled ‘Decoding the Daggubatis’ at the festival. This year, the ‘Masterclass’ and ‘In-Conversation’ sessions will begin with a gathering where Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman’s works will be widely discussed. 2018 marks the filmmaker’s birth centenary.