IFFI: Charles Correia offers service to upgrade KA complex NT Staff Reporter
Panaji May 11: Internationally acclaimed Goan architect, Mr Charles Correia has offered his services to act as an advisor to give a face-lift to the Kala Academy complex in Panaji which would be the main venue for the International Film Festival in India scheduled in November.
Dinanath Mangeshkar Kala Mandir, Goa�s premier auditorium at the KA�s complex, would be the main venue where the inaugural IFFI session would be held in the presence of top film personalities in the world.
The existing seating capacity of the auditorium is 996 and the key advisory committee of the Union ministry of information and broadcasting on the IFFI, which visited Goa on Sunday, has approved the auditorium for the inaugural session.
Initially, the committee had suggested a 1500-seat auditorium for the inaugural session, but the committee has now approved the Mangeshkar Kala Mandir for the purpose saying that the existing capacity was sufficient for beginning the film festival in Goa.
Officials said that there was no plan to increase the existing seating capacity and informed that the auditorium would be given a suitable face-lift. Designs for giving the face-lift for the KA�s complex were being prepared by a well-known architect, Mr Uttam Jain under the overall guidance of Mr Correia.
Mr Correia, in a letter addressed to the chief secretary, Mr Dev Singh Negi, said that he was very happy to offer his services to give the face-lift to the KA complex. Mr Correia was the architect of the prestigious KA complex.
In his letter, Mr Correia said he held discussions with Mr Jain and that he was very happy to offer his services as an advisor for renovation of KA�s complex.
�I am happy to do it, not only as an architect of Kala Academy but also because I am a Goan and would like to do my best to ensure the success of the film festival,� Mr Correia said.
The letter was received at the state secretariat on May 7 and the chief secretary has thanked Mr Correia for offering the services for the success of the film festival.
Though the designs and planning are being worked out the officials said the auditorium would get international standard acoustic and sound system.
Earlier, the government had planned to construct a spacious temporary auditorium at the Campal football ground, however, the plan has been dropped after realising that there would be delay in getting proper clearance from the central government since the land falls under the coastal regulation zone. The land would now be used for parking vehicles as the KA�s parking area has been proposed to create a film bazaar.
The IFFI secretariat would be set up at the old GMC complex in October as the committee has asked the government to hand over the premises 45 days before the commencement of the festival. Along the IFFI secretariat building, multiplexes are being created and works are in progress.
Well-known film-maker, Amit Khanna, who is a member of the key advisory committee, opined that the film festival venues should have some sort of tourist values so that the people participating in the festival should get an opportunity to see the places around. On this background, Khanna said Goa was an ideal location to hold the festival rather than New Delhi.
To a question about tourists not visiting Goa to watch films, Khanna said film festival was not meant for regular tourists but for the film-makers and those connected with films.
Another film-maker, Bobby Bedi said Goa was much closer to film-making centres like Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolhapur and New Delhi would be very far for those connected with films.
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