After its world premiere in Cannes, Tillotama Shome’s Sir closes the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2018

The festival which spanned close to two weeks has come to an end in the capital city of Victoria, with 60 films screened across 22 languages

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne closed amidst much pomp and splendour yesterday. The 12 day celebration of Indian cinema screened an array of films, from Bollywood films like Sanju and Hichki to regional films like Mahanati and Jonaki. Right from the Flag Hoisting Ceremony to the Awards Night, the festival saw a range of emotions and enthusiasm from the guests and the audience alike. Rani Mukerji won the award for Best Actress for a fabulous performance in the critically acclaimed Hichki while Manoj Bajpayee bagged the award for Best Actor for his chilling performance in Gali Guliyan. With panel discussions talking about box office numbers, writing a super hit film and acting both in Hollywood and Bollywood being and Question Answer sessions with directors who have made award winning hits, the audiences took in all that the festival had to offer and came back for more. There were several screenings held each day over the past 12 days that were appreciated and applauded by film lovers across the city.

Rohena Gera’s Sir, which recently had its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, was screened at IFFM on its closing night, ending the largest film festival in the southern hemisphere on a high note. Starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber in the lead, the plot revolves around the lives of Ratna and Ashwin, a maid who works for the latter, a young man belonging to a wealthy family. When the two make a connection, it leads to barriers between them seeming more insuperable.

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The film was received fantastically by the Australian audience and was lauded for tackling the subject so beautifully. Tillotama’s performance as Ratna especially received rave reviews.