Ram Madhvani and Mahaveer Jain on storytelling at IFFI Goa
At the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa, National Award-winning director Ram Madhvani and producer Mahaveer Jain joined moderator Divyansh Jain for a lively session on “The Power and Impact of Our Stories on Nation Building.” The conversation dug into how cinema shapes cultural identity, moral values, and collective memory.
Stories as cultural compass
Speaking about India’s storytelling legacy, Madhvani reminded the audience that our epics have long acted as moral compasses. “India has always been a civilisation shaped by stories… Our responsibility is to craft stories that not only entertain but also carry forward the values, questions, and memories that define us,” he said, calling storytelling a “sacred act.”
Ancient wisdom for global audiences
Producer Mahaveer Jain urged filmmakers to bring India’s spiritual and philosophical heritage to the world. “We have solutions for everything in the ancient wisdom that our own sages have given us,” he noted, stressing that cinema is a powerful medium to propagate that wisdom internationally.
Tragedy, catharsis and the modern audience
Madhvani also spoke about his creative aim: to revive the tragic hero. He reflected on icons like Meena Kumari and Dilip Kumar, and explained his desire to move audiences emotionally. “In everything that I do, the one nerve that I want to press, to cleanse you is to make you cry… if I can use the work that I am putting out there to try and see how you can achieve catharsis, that is what I would like to do.”
He even cited the classic film Guide as a spiritual benchmark and said, “I aspire to make another one!”
Why festivals like IFFI matter
Founded in 1952 and the only South Asian festival accredited by FIAPF in the Competitive Feature Films category, IFFI remains a key platform for filmmakers to debate cinema’s role in nation building. Sessions like this underline how entertainment can be both moving and meaningful, bridging ancient values with contemporary storytelling.
Takeaway
- Storytelling is seen as a vital cultural responsibility by leading filmmakers.
- India’s spiritual heritage is being positioned as a global narrative resource.
- There’s a conscious push to bring emotional depth—and tragedy—back into mainstream cinema.
