There's something about Irrfan. On the screen, he is meticulous and off it, he's articulate. Looking fresh and upbeat, the National Award-winner says that he is optimistic about not only Indian cinema, but about society's approach towards cinema as a whole. He believes film festivals can play an integral role in this upward swing. After inaugurating the fifth edition of Jagran Film Festival (JFF) on Monday, Irrfan indulged hitlist with a freewheeling chat...

Irrfan Pic/Shadab Khan

While the number of award functions in the country keeps growing, the same cannot be said about film festivals...
Yes, there are only a few film festivals of repute in our country. But we must accept that more film festivals are coming up and it's a good thing. As more people get attuned to a piece of cinema that they don't get to watch otherwise, cinema benefits as an entity. Also, we should remember that a film festival is different from an award ceremony where the honours are sold, quite literally. In a film fest, things are more appreciable. But then, the economics between the two events are very different.