The Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) and the Times of India Group on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for organising the 65th Filmfare Awards at Guwahati on February 15 next year. This will be for the first time that the Filmfare awards will be held outside Mumbai.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited Managing Director Vineet Jain. "With Assam hosting the event, we will witness new avenues for Assamese cinema and a huge boost to tourism and this is a momementous occasion for us," the Chief Minister said.
It is also heartening to know that 50 per cent of revenue generated will be donated to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, he said. "Cinema is a powerful catalyst to integrate the society and the Filmfare Awards will give us a great platform to showcase Assam in all its glory", Sonowal added.
Terming the Filmfare Awards as a platform to showcase Assam to a global audience, the chief minister said that more than 200 crore people across the world will be made aware of the state's cultural heritage and tourism potential and people must take this opportunity to promote Assam.
"An environment of filmmaking was taking place in Assam which can be seen from the success of films such as Zubin Garg's Kanchanjangha, Jatin Bora's Ratnakar, Rima Das's Bulbul Can Sing among others", he said.
He urged new-age filmmakers of the state to make quality films which can capture the audiences' imagination in entire South-East Asia. Sonowal thanked the Times of India group for choosing Assam as the first venue to hold Filmfare Awards outside Mumbai.
