For more than a decade, the smallest state in the country has been home to the Goa Marathi Film Festival. As this year’s monsoons commenced, so did the twelfth edition, that took place last month in Panaji. For Goans, this festival is a rare chance to experience Marathi cinema which may not release in nearby cinemas. The festival prides itself on introducing quality Marathi films that are critically acclaimed, commercially successful and award winning. Privately organised by Goa-based Vinsan World, the festival draws around 1,000 delegates every year, some of whom come from Maharashtra’s neighbouring towns. Unfortunately, this year, the response was lower compared to the last 11 editions. Dnyanesh Moghe, the main organiser of the festival stated, “It could be because of heavy rains on weekends [and] the world cup match on Sunday.” But still, theatres were mostly almost full.
This edition of the festival screened 18 feature films and three short films. Moghe explained that all these years, they’ve never had any particular theme, but the emphasis has always been on new Marathi films. “Many filmmakers like Umesh Kulkarni and film critics suggest [which] new movies [should be screened] and we make it a point to showcase those,” said Moghe. “We have a mix of commercial and critically acclaimed movies.”
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A particular highlight of this edition was Imago, by debutant filmmakers from Kolhapur: Karan Chavan and Vikram Patil. It’s about the story of Namrata (Aishwarya Ghaidhar) who has vitiligo, a skin condition. The movie explores the internal journey of a girl who is dealing with concepts of beauty, love, and acceptance. Chavan, once a student of fine art, has always explored the idea of beauty. “We [wanted] to make something related to the idea of beauty, because in our society how we define it is very limited,” said Chavan. “It is not just being fair or having a pretty face. For us, a person having vitiligo is prettier and I believe that while watching this film, Namrata’s character will make one believe that.” He added that it was imperative they cast someone who battles the ailment in real life. “[Only someone] who has experienced low self-confidence due to vitiligo will able to do justice to [the role],” said Chavan who, in the next six months, is planning to release Imago commercially and on streaming platforms.
Another film that stood out was