Malhar Thakar and Jay Vasavada grace the 4th edition of the International Gujarati Film Festival—exclusive!

The 4th edition of the International Gujarati Film Festival was held in Chicago recently and the function was hosted by Hemant Brahmbhatt and IGFF founder Kaushal Acharya. Many dignitaries from Chicago and people from the Gujarati film fraternity also marked their remarkable presence. The Festival Jury Chairperson, S. J. Chiro, Jury Members Gopi Desai, Jay Vasavada, and Mayank Chaaya, the Gujarati Film Industry’s heartthrob Malhar Thakar, and Legendary Gujarati Singer Atul Purohit were present at the do.

Meanwhile, Bollywood versatile actor Darshan Pandya, Gujarati film director Niraj Joshi, film producer Milap Singh Jadeja, and Shourya Patel have joined the three-day festival.

To learn more about the festival, ETimes contacted actor Malhar Thakar, and here is what he shared, "We as Gujaratis are versatile people, and we are always excited to explore new stories. Our roots and foundation are more towards our culture and history, but with globalisation, we also need to adopt new changes rather than create them. I have witnessed the love for Gujarati cinema in Chicago; it's like the NRG audience is crazy for their language. I felt like I had come home after many years. The Chicago film festival experience is so much of a community of love and care. Life is a journey the same way our films are also travelling to many, and I feel the journey should become more interesting and meaningful."

Whereas jury member Jay Vasavda added, "We need to work more on experimental content for Gujarati films; we should not only target our community but the audience around the world. The film has only one language of cinema at the end, and the end should be cinematic beauty. If we have to mark our presence in the world, then we have to work more towards global cinema. There is a huge audience around the world, and we are missing them. Thanks to OTT and the internet, we can reach every person with our content."