IFFI to organise moments with the music maestros

Panaji, Nov 22 (IANS) Musical great like Ustad Bismillah Khan, K.L. Saigal, Mohammed Rafi will continue to enthrall the audiences at the 40th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), long after they passed into history.

A novel and new section called 'Moments with the Maestros' will present audio-visual documentaries on a cross section of musical greats, depicting their life and work.

The seven-day segment will be inaugurated by chief minister Digambar Kamat Tuesday and the inaugural documentary will be 'Rafi - We Remember You', directed by Kuldeep Sinha.

The documentary on Rafi is the latest in the series of films made by Films Division of India (FDI) under the series -- Music and Maestros.

Other documentary films will be on Salil Chaudhury, Naushad, Ustad Allaa Rakha Khan as well as Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

The IFFI's tryst with music doesn't end there. Renowned santoor player Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Jasraj, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, lyricist Gulzar will also be felicitated at the film fest.

IFFI will screen 39 documentary films in the 'Moments with the Maestros' segment other than the 300 odd films which will be shown in various other sections.