Day 0 of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2018


The 2018 edition of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival started on a low note for cinephiles, some of whom, like me, woke up unusually early to book the tickets for day one i.e. 26 October. Although it took me some time, I managed to get a seat for the first show of the opening film, Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. Since I am working tomorrow, I can only catch that one film, and I think that makes this a good start for me.

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
The coveted BMS pass for the opening film.

I got my badge yesterday from Matterden, Lower Parel. Unfortunately, the stock was out on the festival bags, which upset me a little, but I was promised one today. The reason given was weird but I took it.

MAMI film festival 2018 badge
My delegate pass for 2018’s MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

Starting Problem

The booking was supposed to start on the BookMyShow website at 8 AM sharp. However, due to the massive appeal of the festival and a large number of people logging in at the same time, the website crashed. And it crashed again and again until it was back on its feet at 11.30 AM. It’s both fun and disappointing to read the tweets at the #JioMAMIwithStar hashtag on Twitter.

Most delegates complained about BookMyShow’s substandard server capabilities and blamed this year’s lower entry fee (INR 500) for the booking glitch. I actually don’t agree because I have witnessed this every single year since 2015. The fact that I got an internet boost specifically for this month must have had a role to play in my ticket-booking success.

Functions

According to MAMI’s Twitter, day-long functions took/are taking place in at least two different venues in Mumbai. The formal inauguration of the festival will be followed by the firsts screenings tomorrow at 10 AM across different venues.

The opening film will be first shown at 7.30 PM at PVR ICON in Versova, which will also include an introduction and a Q&A session with the crew before and after the screening respectively. A bit stoked about this because this is the first time I am getting a seat for the opening film. I had missed Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh in 2015 and Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkabaaz in 2017. I had skipped the whole fest in 2016 where I hear that Konkona Sen Sharma’s A Deah in the Gunj was received with much pomp by revellers.

Plan for Day One

I will be taking the local train and Mumbai Metro to get to PVR ICON to watch the opening film. Following which I intend to summarize the experiences of the day at midnight. Here’s to a fun-filled and entertaining film festival this year. TN.

Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota still
A still from the opening film, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. / © MAMI

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