A series of events, including a fashion show, a quiz show based on Bollywood and a scintillating performance by Shankar Ehsaan Loy marked the 100 years of Indian cinema in the Indonesian capital.
The programme held Monday evening, with a major exposition of Indian ikat through the eyes of a leading Indonesian designer, Didiet Maulana, who created his fall/winter collection based on Indian fabrics that were brought through the Development Commissioner of Handlooms of the Indian government.
This rare fashion show was also a tribute to Bollywood as the designer said he and his team breathed Indian cinema for several months to come up with this tribute which showed Indian ikat which they converted to a full ready to wear collection.
The fashion show was preceded by the screening of India’s first feature film “Raja Harischandra” made in 1913.
Speaking on the occasion, the Indian Ambassador Gurjit Singh said: “2013 is a unique milestone in Indian cinema. The centenary celebrations in Jakarta are a tribute to the love of the people of Indonesia for Indian cinema as we believe that Indian cinema has been an important element of the people to people and cultural linkages between India and Indonesia.”
There is a long term appreciation of Indian cinema in Indonesia. Since independence of both countries in the late 1940s, Indian cinema gained roots in Indonesia as a symbol of commonality of world views and human emotions.
The Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) Indonesia supported the Indian embassy’s efforts for having the unique film week in Jakarta. Fifty iconic films from the Indian panorama section of the DFF were screened on the occasion. The films were not only in Hindi but also had Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and English shows.
