Syd spoke, reiterating basics from his books with affable ease. Those who have read his books might have found the material repetitive, but the crowd was enthralled by his accessibility and video examples from current cinema. He never ducked a question, and while the genial guru admits to often repeating himself, the constant reiteration seemed welcome to the film fraternity, which was earnestly scribbling down notes.
The crowd was impressive, to say the least. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, an avid Field fan, sat glued to the first row, with Rang De Basanti writer Kamlesh Pandey and actor Atul Kulkarni sitting close. Munna Bhai creator Rajkumar Hirani came in for the Friday session, while Saturday saw Omkara-man Vishal Bhardwaj sit in.
Kamal Haasan wasn't in the mood to schmooze, but watched the proceedings intently and was seen thanking Syd profusely for this rare chance. Sholay director Ramesh Sippy was in attendance, and Rajshri Films founder Tarachand Barjatya was enthralled with the two-day presentation. Sanjay Gupta rubbed shoulders with Govind Nihalani, while Don makers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani kept their ears open.
Don't Miss: The Best Films of 2006
Advertisement
