Inaugural ceremony of PIFF 2010 has been moved to a smaller venue that can seat only 990

Over 2,000 people will miss opening ceremony

Inaugural ceremony of PIFF 2010 has been moved to a smaller venue that can seat only 990

Ending a five-year-old tradition, 25-year-old Chandar Joshi will be sitting at home eating popcorn and watching the inaugural function of the 8th International Pune Film Festival on television.

The animation professional from Kothrud hasn't missed this event in the past five years.

Having learnt that the venue of the event this year is Balgandharva theatre that has a capacity of barely 990 seats as compared to the 3,000-odd people who attend this event each year, he thinks its wiser to sit at home and watch the event on television.

"I really want to see Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna, they are icons to me. But how is it possible for us to get inside, with so many invites and so little space," said the film enthusiast.

Disappointed
Several like Chandar will face the disappointment of not being able to see the inauguration and the felicitation of Rajesh Khanna and Shriram Lagoo.

After the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch that has a capacity of 2,700 guests shut down after a recent High Court order, the PIFF 2010 committee was forced to shift the inaugural function to a smaller venue, J M Road's Balgandharva Rangmandir.

Besides that, the inaugural Iranian film 'About Elly' by noted director Asgar Farhadi will not be shown in the same venue but the audience shall have to move 3 kms away to E-Square. The same drill will have to follow in the closing ceremony and closing film.

Amar Pardeshi, Manager of Balgandharva Rangmandir said that it was difficult to organise a screen in the theatre for showing the film.

"The organisers have not asked us to arrange for a screening yet. Besides the stage is small and we lack the infrastructure too for arranging the screening. Moreover, it's not possible to accommodate so many people," said Pardeshi.

"This is the biggest theatre owned so far by the Pune Municipal Corporation. And they have no plans for constructing any more theatres in the city," he added.

Santosh Unecha, associate director, PIFF, agreed that many people would miss the event, but said that it couldn't be helped.

However MP Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of PIFF, assured that the next year inaugural function will be certainly held at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch.