How Parrikar made Iffi synonymous with Goa
Gauree Malkarnekar | TNN | Updated: Mar 18, 2019, 11:13 IST
PANAJI: If there is one image of Manohar Parrikar that has stuck with Goans from his early years in office as chief minister, it is of him monitoring the construction work of the Inox complex and the new Patto bridge in the wee hours of the morning in preparation to host the International Film Festival of India (Iffi) in Panaji.
When Parrikar impressed upon the centre to move the prestigious film festival to Goa, there were many doubters. The deadline seemed tough to meet as Goa had to build the infrastructure from scratch. But critics had to eat humble pie when he achieved the impossible and Goa hosted the first edition in 2004. Praise that poured in from celebrities was generous.
“Iffi is finally free from the bureaucratic tangles of Delhi and truly a festival where the focus is on the art and the artistes,” actor Shabana Azmi said. Oscar nominee filmmaker Shekhar Kapurrecalled how he along with Parrikar “fought to get the film festival to Goa”.
But, while Iffi put Goa and Parrikar in the limelight, it almost put a blot on his ‘Mr Clean’ image.
When the Congress-led coalition formed government in 2007, they charged that Parrikar had “siphoned off crores of rupees” from the construction works of the Iffi infrastructure.
The CBI, which probed the case, eventually dropped all charges, vindicating his stand. Despite everything, Iffi remained special to Parrikar.
When he moved to Delhi as the defence minister, a decade after hosting the first edition of the festival, he ensured that Centre inked the deal to make Goa the permanent venue for Iffi.
During his last two terms in office as CM, he made sure to expedite work on the permanent festival complex at Dona Paula to be in time to host the 50th edition of the festival in 2019.
The landmark edition is only months away, but the leading man will not be around to raise a toast.
When Parrikar impressed upon the centre to move the prestigious film festival to Goa, there were many doubters. The deadline seemed tough to meet as Goa had to build the infrastructure from scratch. But critics had to eat humble pie when he achieved the impossible and Goa hosted the first edition in 2004. Praise that poured in from celebrities was generous.
“Iffi is finally free from the bureaucratic tangles of Delhi and truly a festival where the focus is on the art and the artistes,” actor Shabana Azmi said. Oscar nominee filmmaker Shekhar Kapurrecalled how he along with Parrikar “fought to get the film festival to Goa”.
But, while Iffi put Goa and Parrikar in the limelight, it almost put a blot on his ‘Mr Clean’ image.
When the Congress-led coalition formed government in 2007, they charged that Parrikar had “siphoned off crores of rupees” from the construction works of the Iffi infrastructure.
The CBI, which probed the case, eventually dropped all charges, vindicating his stand. Despite everything, Iffi remained special to Parrikar.
When he moved to Delhi as the defence minister, a decade after hosting the first edition of the festival, he ensured that Centre inked the deal to make Goa the permanent venue for Iffi.
During his last two terms in office as CM, he made sure to expedite work on the permanent festival complex at Dona Paula to be in time to host the 50th edition of the festival in 2019.
The landmark edition is only months away, but the leading man will not be around to raise a toast.
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