Kolkata film fest to go without private sponsorship

Kolkata, Oct 22 (IANS) Weeks ahead of the 2014 Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), the West Bengal government has decided that the annual event will not have any private sponsorship from this year, an official said Wednesday.

The 20th edition of KIFF, scheduled to begin Nov 10, will introduce competitive segments.

"There will be no private sponsorship this year and it has been notified officially," the official told IANS.

While officials have not divulged the reason, speculation is rife that the move is to steer clear of any controversy arising due to allegations of involvement of chit fund money in the festival following the Saradha scam.

Last year the fest had a budget of around Rs.5 crore and it was inaugurated by Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and southern star Kamal Haasan.