INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2021 OPENING NIGHT at NUS (March 16)

INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2021 OPENING NIGHT AT NUS (March 16)

WELCOME ADDRESS BY HC

Mr Bernard Toh, Director, Office of Alumni Relations, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I welcome you all to this Opening Night of the 6th edition of the Indian Film Festival organised by the High Commission of India, Singapore, in partnership with the NUS Alumni Relations Team.

The first such Festival was held in 2015, marking the completion of 50 years of India-Singapore diplomatic relations. As you all know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world, producing about 1500 films per year in over 40 languages, creating a box-office value worth nearly USD 3 billion. It has come a long way since the first full-length Indian feature film – Raja Harish Chandra – was released in 1913.

Our objective has been to bring glimpses of creative flourish from Indian Cinema to a Singapore audience, to enhance their understanding of contemporary India, and indeed the Indian art scenario. This has been made possible by the continuous support provided by the NUS Alumni Relations Team over the years. I thank you and appreciate you for your enthusiastic efforts.

On March 12, PM Narendra Modi launched the “Azadi ka AmritMahotsav”, marking the beginning of our celebrations of 75 years of India’s Independence; these will continue until 2023. During this period of celebrations, we hope to bring you, in addition to a number of other events, some more Indian Film Festivals showcasing exciting movies and accomplished artistes.

This year has been particularly challenging, given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We have therefore had to curtail our ambition, limiting the size of our audience to 50 people and observing social distancing measures. This year’s event features physical screening of four films - Hindi Medium, Kahani, Queen and Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya – each of them popular and enjoyable in their own right. For the first time, we are also attempting a Virtual format for this festival, in collaboration with Kinolounge, through a process of registration. I hope this experiment is successful in bringing Indian entertainment to the audience, who will be able to enjoy these blockbusters sitting in the comfort of their homes.

We see our Film Festivals as part of our efforts to impart to the film lovers in Singapore, especially the younger generation, greater exposure to the diverse aspects and nuances of Indian Culture, and the transformations in Indian society, reflective of the changes in New India.

A few days ago, we celebrated International Women’s Day. This year, as Singapore celebrates the year of the SG Women, the four movies presented in this Festival bring to you strong women characters who define themselves by their choices in the face of challenges - a reflection of the ‘Nari Shakti’ of today.

I am sure you will enjoy the opening night’s film ‘Hindi Medium’- a situational comedy about a young couple who have aspirations of educating their child in an English medium school, as part of their aspiration to be part of the elite society. This movie is also a tribute to the actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away last year. He was one of India’s most versatile actors, and brought a certain effortlessness to his performance.

Before we begin the screening of the movie, we are proud to present to you a short video clip on India’s efforts to share its substantial vaccine production capacity for the larger benefit of humanity. We call it ‘VaccineMaitri’. Also, this year unlike in previous years, we are unable to treat our esteemed guests to freshly-prepared Indian delicacies. So we have tried to make up for it, by putting together specially-made Goody Bags for you, based on the theme of sustainability and promoting #VocalforLocal and Made in India. I hope you like them.

Once again, thank you all for the cooperation and the encouragement in bringing this Film Festival to you in these challenging circumstances.

Hope you enjoy today’s movie. If you don’t, we will have to rely on Mr. Toh’s long experience in the Ministry of Defence to save us!

Thank you. Happy watching!