The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival concluded today in Shillong free from the unpleasant riotous scenes from yesterday.
At Ward’s Lake, one of the venues, the three-day fest ended with food, fun and celebrity in the gorgeous setting.
Crowds thronged the venue, forming long and patient queues, keen to take in the lake, cherry blossoms, food stalls and the great Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah, who brought an end to this venue’s entertainment.
The veteran actor, who had spent a few days in Shillong decades ago on a film shoot, spoke about his school days, memories of his contemporary actor Om Puri, his acting philosophy and his predicted demise of the cinema hall, as OTT platforms like Netflix take over.
Shah was speaking to local actor Lapdiang Syiem, who, like him, had attended the National School of Drama in New Delhi.
When asked about the cult classic satirical film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro, Shah, who is never shy from speaking from the heart even if it offends a few people, said that “if it is remade today the level of corruption shown would have to be multiplied by a thousand” to reflect modern society.
While saying he would be sad to see cinemas die, Shah said that modern Indian movies need depth but expressed hope that modern filmmakers, working for the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar, would be able to make such movies.