INDIA: PVR INOX Limited, India’s largest and most premium cinema exhibitor, is proud to announce the Akkineni Nageswara Rao Film Festival, a grand tribute to the legendary Telugu actor, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), to mark his 100th birth anniversary. Widely known as Natasamrat, ANR was a towering figure in Indian cinema, renowned for his versatility and captivating performances that have left an indelible mark on the film industry. This three-day film festival will run from 20th to 22nd September 2024, offering fans a rare opportunity to relive the magic of ANR’s iconic films on the big screen.

In collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation, the festival will showcase a handpicked collection of ANR’s most celebrated movies, including Devadasu, Mayabazar, Bharya Bharthalu, Gundamma Katha, Doctor Chakravarthi, Sudigundalu, Premabhishekam, Prem Nagar, and Manam. The festival will span 31 cities, allowing audiences across the country to honor ANR’s extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema.

Gautam Dutta, CEO of PVR INOX Limited, commented on the festival, saying, “We are deeply honored to celebrate the centenary of Akkineni Nageswara Rao, whose cinematic journey is nothing short of legendary. His powerful performances have transcended generations, and his films continue to inspire cinephiles across the world. This festival is our tribute to his immense legacy, and we are thrilled to partner with the Film Heritage Foundation to bring ANR’s timeless classics back to the big screen. We hope this initiative will engage both devoted fans and new audiences, offering them a chance to experience the brilliance of ANR in theatres once again.”

ANR’s illustrious career spanned over six decades, with a filmography that reflects his exceptional range as an actor—from tragic dramas to heartwarming family sagas. His roles in films like Devadasu and Mayabazar cemented his place as a cultural icon, and his dedication to cinema earned him widespread admiration and respect.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Filmmaker and Director, Film Heritage Foundation, also expressed his enthusiasm for the festival, stating, “Akkineni Nageswara Rao was a true titan of Indian cinema, and it is only fitting that we celebrate his centennial with this remarkable festival. Through our partnership with PVR INOX, we are ensuring that ANR’s unparalleled contributions to film are preserved and showcased for future generations. The Film Heritage Foundation is committed to restoring and reviving classic films, and this festival is a step forward in our mission to honor the legends of Indian cinema.”

Akkineni Nagarjuna states, “I am delighted that the Film Heritage Foundation is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of my father with a festival of his landmark films across the country. He was rightly called Natasamrat for his amazing ability to play a range of roles from a saint to an alcoholic to a romantic hero in a way that has stayed in people’s hearts and minds for decades. His performance in Devadasu has been acknowledged as one of the best across all versions of the film over the years and his films like Premabhishekam, Doctor Chakravarthi and Sudigundalu are loved even today. He was a pioneer who established Annapurna Studios, laying the first foundation for the Telugu film industry in our state. We are very proud of his legacy and through this festival audiences across the country will remember an icon not just of Telugu cinema but of Indian cinema. We would like to preserve this legacy so that people will remember him for another hundred years. The entire Akkineni family would like to thank the NFDC-NFAI and PVR-Inox for partnering with us to make this festival possible.”

Prithul Kumar, Joint Secretary (Films) and Managing Director, NFDC-National Film Archive Of India states, “NFDC-NFAI is deeply honoured to collaborate in commemorating the birth centenary of Shri. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, by presenting seven timeless classics, restored in 4K from prints and negatives held in the archive’s collection. This event is not just a tribute to a legendary actor but also a testament to our commitment to preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of Indian cinema. By bringing these masterpieces back to the big screen, we hope to evoke a deep sense of pride and nostalgia, allowing audiences to reconnect with the golden era of our film history. Our sincere thanks go to PVR-INOX for providing the platform to share these films with the nation, to Annapurna Studios and Film Heritage Foundation for their curation and planning, and to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for funding this endeavour under the National Film Heritage Mission.”

Each film in the showcase highlights ANR’s remarkable versatility and celebrates the rich legacy of Telugu cinema. Through this festival, PVR INOX and the Film Heritage Foundation aim to rekindle admiration for ANR’s work while introducing his timeless classics to a new generation of audiences.

The Akkineni Nageswara Rao Film Festival will be hosted across 31 cities, including major hubs like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Gurugram, Ahmedabad and many more, allowing fans nationwide to join in the celebration of this cinematic legend.

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PUNE: Bebasi’- a short film about the importance and issues surrounding organ donation and organ transplant was released at NFAI, Law College Road. The film has been written and directed by Pune-based Raahul Panshikar, produced by Rahul’s Grafix, and has received special support from Fleetguard-Filtrum Pvt. Ltd.

Well-known actor, Mohan Joshi, and the entire cast of the film, Sanjay Kulkarni – President of Fleetguard, Niranjan Kirloskar – Managing Director of Fleetguard, Dr Mahesh Kotbagi – Director, Rotary International, Dr Sanjay Shinde – Inspector General of Crime Investigation Department (CID), Mr. Milind Mohite – Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dr. Harish Raichur, Dr. Sneha Gharmalkar and other dignitaries were present on this occasion.

The level of public awareness regarding organ donation and organ transplants is at a very nascent stage today in India. People are not aware of the difficulties one faces during organ transplantation along with the government schemes available for the same. Through Bébasi, Panshikar proposes that aid for organ transplant procedures should be brought under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). That will make these procedures prohibitive costs, and accessible even to poor people.

‘Bebasi’ is the third sequel of Raahul Panshikar’s two earlier films- ‘Raakh’ and ‘Duvidha’. ‘Bebasi’ depicts the plight of the family of an honest man, Tatyasaheb Joglekar, who has dedicated his life to the education of poor children. Tatyasaheb, the main character in the short film, played by Mohan Joshi, mortgages his house to build a school for deprived children.

Tatyasaheb and his family are beaming with happiness when his son completes his engineering and gets employed. However, their happiness is short-lived when they learn about the serious ailment of their son and the need for an organ transplant. The story movingly reveals the family’s emotional turmoil after realizing that their child has only 3-4 weeks along with the positive portrayal of the help offered by some sensitive people in the society.

The movie delves into the efforts Tatyasaheb takes to include organ donation under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the follow-up he takes on government schemes to guide the deprived people of society to seek timely help. The options have been effectively conveyed to the audience, helping to create awareness of the issues and offering solutions about organ transplants and organ donation.

‘Bebasi’ also appeals to seek help from authentic hospitals, social organizations, and government organizations to curb the illegal organ transplant racket being run in the country.

Speaking at the film release, Raahul Panshikar said, “Films play an important role in social change, and with a topic like an organ transplant and organ donation we wanted to make sure we not only create awareness but also guide people towards the authentic options available as help”

Niranjan Kirloskar mentioned that lakhs of rupees are being spent on organ transplants and dialysis of patients. He expressed hope that like all technologies, these costs will also come down eventually. He added that awareness about organ donation was the need of the hour, which has been addressed in ‘Bebasi’.  

Dr. Sanjay Shinde expressed his belief that this short film would help several people looking at organ transplant and donation as it covers all the necessary aspects.

Milind Mohite said, “After the law came into force in 1994, organ donation has gained momentum, and it is nice to see how ‘Bebasi’ had handled this topic bringing out the essence of humanity.”

To appeal to the people, Dr. Mahesh Kotbagi suggested opening multiple free dialysis centers and creating awareness about these to as many needy citizens as possible.

Dr. Raichur, who had been carrying out several initiatives on organ donation in Solapur, appreciated the message given through Bébasi and talked about several challenges in encouraging people to volunteer for organ donation.

During the release function, Raahul Panshikar made the introductory remarks and thanked the participants for their valuable contribution.

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PUNE: Film festivals on health-related subjects help remove the misconceptions and superstitions from the minds of people opined Dr Abhijit Vaidya, Founder of Aarogya Sena. He was speaking at the inauguration function of the 12th Aarogya Film Festival organized by P M Shah Foundation at NFAI today. Festival Director Adv. Chetan Gandhi and entrepreneur Satish Kondhalkar were also present on the occasion. The festival will conclude tomorrow (Feb 24, 2024)

Dr Vaidya said, “While taking healthcare to the grassroots all across the country through Aarogya Sena, it has been noticed that less literate villagers are more sensitive than the highly educated citizens. Moreover, it has also been observed that there is still not much awareness about healthcare in society. There are more misconceptions as the scientific approach has still not reached the society at large in our country. So, to create awareness about important subjects related to healthcare such film festivals could prove to be an important platform.”

Adv Chetan Gandhi who has been instrumental in organizing the Aarogya Film Festival, one of its kind festival of health subjects related short films and documentaries said, “Over 40 short films and documentaries have been chosen to showcase in this festival that is on topics related to health and sanitation like mental health, child abuse, child health, women, social health and cancer“.

Members of the film selection committee Anuja Deodhar, Vinay Jawalgikar, Sukhada Khisti, and Jayashree Deodhar were felicitated on the occasion. Representatives of five schools that are successfully running the school sanitation program of the P M Shah Foundation were also felicitated at the hands of Dr Vaidya during this program These schools include Chandrakant Darode Primary School, HHCP Girls School, Gagangiri Primary School, Gagangiri English medium school and Karmaveer Bhaurao Hire Highschool. Moika Joshi was the anchor for the inaugural session of the 12th Aarogya Film Festival.

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PUNE: With the overwhelming response received over the years, the Pune-based P. M. Shah Foundation is back with the 12th edition of ‘The Aarogya Film Festival’ featuring a bouquet of national and international documentaries based on varied aspects of health. The two-day film festival is being held at NFDC-National Film Archives of India, Law College Road, Pune. Entry to the festival is free for all on a first come first served basis.

Speaking about the initiative Adv Chetan Gandhi, Festival Director said, “We have seen that film as a medium makes a greater impact on the minds of today’s youth when it comes to creating awareness of any sort. Health is one such aspect that needs maximum reach and hence we have been organizing this distinctive film festival namely the ‘Aarogya Film Festival’ since 2010. As has been done over the years, this year as well we hope to help create awareness on issues relating to health and hygiene.”

The opening ceremony of the festival will begin with the inauguration at the hands of Chief Guest Dr Abhijit Vaidya-National Chief Arogya Sena and Founder Director of Smita Patil International Film Festival on Friday 23rd February at 2 pm. The festival will then showcase short films and documentaries up to 6 pm.

Day two will screen films from 10 am to 4.30 pm followed by the festival’s closing ceremony in the presence of the Chief Guest Virendra Valsangkar-Renowned National Award-Winning Film Maker. The top three films in the ‘Short Film’ and ‘Documentary’ categories will also be awarded during the closing ceremony with a memento and a certificate.

P. M. Shah Foundation has been organizing this unique film festival since 2009 to provide a platform for creative minds and young filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their work related to awareness creation on topics relating to health. In its 12th edition this year, the festival will showcase 40 films in two formats – short films and documentaries covering a wide range of topics including mental health, child health, child sexual abuse, women’s health issues, organ donation, cancer, public health, hygiene, disabilities, senior citizen’s health issues and much more.

This year the festival has received over 145 applications of films and documentaries from Indian and International filmmakers. Entries came in from across India, Dubai, Australia, Germany, USA, Pakistan, Algeria, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Sénégal, Philippines, France, Sultanate of Oman, England and Iran. The shortlisting from these entries was done by an eminent jury comprising Anuja Deodhar, a teacher and a social activist, Vijay Javalgikar, a well-known filmmaker, and Shukhada Khisti, a mental health expert. The festival will screen films that are in different languages with English subtitles.

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