Films are biggest bridge that connects mankind: Prasad

Cinema captures the essence of an emotion and binds people together irrespective of their nationality or language, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said.

Inaugurating the ninth edition of the Jagran Film Festival here along with actors Tabu and Pooja Bhatt, he said the contribution of Indian filmmakers in uniting the country has been extraordinary.

"I have always felt films are the biggest bridge to connect mankind. When we are watching a film, nationality and language do not matter. There is a common emotion which binds us together. What films do they capture the essence of emotion and they relate.

"I congratulate the organisers for coming up with the festival which joins India with a bridge of art. India makes maximum films in the world. Contribution of India's filmmakers in bringing the people together is truly extraordinary. The dialogue, the songs, the music and above all the creating a kind of emotion which transfers you from ugly life of contemporary existence to feeling of romance, utopia and also a world we always seek for," Prasad said in his speech.

An initiative of Jagran Prakashan Ltd, the festival will travel from here to Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Meerut, Agra, Gorakhpur, Patna, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Indore, Ludhiana, Hissar, Raipur, Dehradun and culminate in Mumbai.

The festival, which runs till July 3, will screening more than 100 films from across the globe.

It opened with "3 Idiotas", the Mexican remake of Rajkumar Hirani's "3 Idiots".

The line up also includes award-winning films such as "Village Rockstars", "Turup", "S Durga", "An Insignificant Man", "Ee Ma Yau", "Being Bhaijaan", "Bucket List" and "Tu Hai Mera Sunday".