Indian?” I nod, and the next moment I watch in delightful surprise as the shopkeeper in the souvenir and art market at Izmailovsky, tucked away in a corner of Moscow, dances to the signature steps and sings Jimmy Jimmy aaja, in perfect tune. Then he asks if I know Mithun Chakraborty. That is how far and deep Indian cinema casts its magic!

When I received the invitation to the BRICS and the Moscow International Film Festival 2024, as the official delegate from India and a state guest of Russia, I realised that it was my responsibility to help develop further cooperation among the filmmakers of the 10 BRICS nations. As a representative of the film-making community from India, I wished to focus on the shared humanity of the BRICS nations, in spite of our diverse tapestry, so that we could forge deeper bonds of understanding that would help us to create greater opportunities to carry our work forward.

The opening ceremony on the cold evening of April 19, at the historical Rossiya Theatre with the red carpet laid out across the entire Pushkinskaya Square, with a huge international press in attendance, was royal in grandeur, to say the least.

The steady drizzle and icy gusts of wind could do nothing to dampen our spirits as the delegates from BRICS block converged for the formal opening ceremony with the state dignitaries.

The panel discussions, that I was supposed to deliver my talk at, were scheduled for April 20 and 22, in the Oktyabr Festival Centre. The topics being ‘Specifics of film production and distribution in BRICS countries’ and ‘Perspectives of co-production and genre preferences of the audience of the BRICS countries’.

Both the sessions turned out to be much more engaging than I had expected and that was because of the interactive nature of the second half of the sessions. It was here that the exchanges with the audience comprising new-age directors, film study students, actors and film journalists became engaging. It illuminated numerous aspects of filmmaking, technology, the role of AI as the filmmakers of the world so to say, grappled to understand the mind of the audience, the investors, the economic aspects of filmmaking and the post-pandemic challenges we are still battling.

At the outset, I was apprehensive about stumbling over language barriers, since most of the delegates spoke in their native tongues and the talk-back translators clipped to the ears of the panelists and the audience were all we had to understand one another. After a while, it became clear that language is really a small tool for communication and hardly comes in the way of communication between people who have similar fields of work and interests.

It was my privilege to talk about the depth and diversity of Indian cinema. India being a vast country is among the top nations in terms of the number of films made per year. We stood out for more than 20 different languages that our films are made in. India also has the largest cine audience, in terms of sheer number and diversity. The audience looked a little taken aback as I convinced them that the film landscape of our country is not confined to Bollywood, nor to a particular industry towards the south.

India boasts of rich regional film industries, be it the poignant storytelling from Bengal or the authenticity of Marathi movies. The regional films offer a nuanced portrayal of local identities, and literature and all of this sums up to make Indian cinema a powerful pool of talent and possibilities.

I wanted to utilise my sessions to finally act as a bridge between the past and future of filmmaking and when the discussion spilt into the coffee break, I felt like I had been successful in giving the correct picture of the cine landscape of my country to the world audience.

On April 21, we were taken on a special tour around the film facilities and the newly-opened Moscow Film Park. The state-of-the-art mix studios, the one-window clearance film facilities, the futuristic technological aids offered at the Film Park would be a treasure trove for those who are in the business of filmmaking. I also consider it a privilege to have got the opportunity to watch a few of the films which had been selected for the festival from the 10 nations.

The crayon-blue skies, the intimidating arctic winds and the beauty of the huge city which is the economic and cultural hub of Russia, standing on the banks of the Moscow River, will hold a special place in my heart for the place and people alike. Moscow seems to be poising gracefully, centuries of history and the vibrancy of revolutions in its architecture, streets, the iconic domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral, the hundreds of museums, Russian art, opera, theatres, circuses, ballet, the Red Square, the Kremlin, the numerous libraries and book stores, theatres, parks, the people, the food, the music, the disciplined synchronisation of the economic heart of Russia, which also houses modern marvels like the Moscow International Business Centre. The busy city holds in perfect balance history and tradition with dynamism and life. The ‘Moscow experience’ was enriching but, I cannot stay away from Calcutta for too long and felt somewhat relieved as I boarded the flight back to where I belong.

The festival had indeed offered me the privilege of experiencing rich cultural exchange and will help us foster deeper bonds with the world cine community because cinema transcends borders and celebrates the power of storytelling.

We may differ in our political ideologies, but an iconic scene from a Ray movie, or the signature steps of the Natu natu number, the dialogue ‘Kitne aadmi the’, from Sholay, or the impassioned cheering for the Indian football team at the recently watched Maidaan, is where the real pulse of India beats. I reaffirm that cinema is perhaps the most potent uniting factor of our nation, even as I hum Jimmy Jimmy aaja!