From IFFI with Love: Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s red carpet call: Take your film crews to Kashmir
Panaji, Nov 21: Back from the Valley, onto the red carpet, veteran Bollywood film director, producer, and screenwriter Vidhu Vinod Chopra urged the film crews to visit picturesque Kashmir and shoot at different locales in the region.
Speaking on the red carpet at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here at Panaji in Goa, Chopra, the recipient of five National Awards and 10 Filmfare Awards, said, “I have just come from Kashmir. I was there on holiday. I believe they should all go to Kashmir. I have no doubt in mind about that.”
Chopra, the director of the critically-acclaimed films like Mission Kashmir, Parinda, and 12th Fail, whose iconic film ‘1942: A Love Story’ is being showcased at a special screening at IFFI in 8K, said that what the film also displays is how overall the country should react to incidents like the April 22 Pahalgam attack.
Later, talking to Greater Kashmir, Chopra, whose ‘Mission Kashmir’ completed 25 years since its release, said time had proven him right.
“I had displayed in ‘Mission Kashmir’ exactly what’s happening in Kashmir today,” he said.
Chopra, who was born and brought up in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is known for producing the ‘Munna Bhai’ film series, 3 Idiots, PK, and Sanju under his banner Vinod Chopra Films.
Chopra’s film ‘1942: A Love Story’, which stars Anil Kapoor, Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff, and Anupam Kher, has been restored in 8K version for the special screening at IFFI Goa.
The film’s soundtrack has been remastered in 5.1 surround sound through a meticulous process, with part of the restoration carried out at L’Immagine Ritrova in Bologna, Italy, one of the world’s leading labs known for preserving cinematic heritage. This year, 124 new film creators from all over India and abroad are showcasing their films at IFFI 2025, displaying their talent to the world through content production and storytelling.
A total of 270 films from 81 countries are being screened at IFFI 2025, with Japan being the country of focus this year.
IFFI 2025 celebrates the theme ‘Convergence of Creativity and Technology’, and this year, for the first time, IFFI includes an AI Hackathon, encouraging filmmakers to use AI for content development and filmmaking.
This year’s IFFI also has another new addition – the largest-ever WAVES Film Bazaar, positioning IFFI at the forefront of creativity, technology, and industry innovation.
During the inauguration of the WAVES Film Bazaar, Director IFFI and a famous Bollywood filmmaker known for his films ‘Mr India’ and ‘Bandit Queen’ said that he was expecting 1,00,000 people to visit Goa during IFFI 2025.
“Last year, we had 50,000 visitors during the festival,” he said. Veteran Bollywood actor, Anupam Kher, on the occasion, celebrated the selection of his three films – Tanvi the Great, The Bengal Files, and the Canadian film Calorie in the festival.
The festival also witnesses restored classics, while new filmmakers come up with their bold experiments.
Attending the festival is particularly rewarding for those interested in pursuing filmmaking as a career.
It provides an opportunity for first-timers to share space with legendary maestros.
IFFI provides international competitions, cultural showcases, masterclasses, tributes, and the high-energy WAVES Film Bazaar, providing an opportunity for ideas, deals, and collaborations to take flight. Being staged against Goa’s stunning coastal backdrop, IFFI 2025 will conclude on November 28. IFFI 2025 also coincides with 50 years of the National Film Development Corporation of India.
