GUWAHATI: Renowned filmmaker and critic from Assam Utpal Borpujari is all set to be a part of the five-member jury for the Best Web Series (OTT) award at the upcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI), commencing in Goa on Monday.
According to media reports, the panel includes actors Rajkumar Hirani heading the panel along with Divya Dutta, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Krishna DK. This year's edition of the film extravaganza, the 54th IFFI, introduces a new award category—the Best Web Series (OTT) award.
The accolade aims to recognise shows for their "artistic merit, storytelling excellence, technical prowess, and overall impact," as announced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Speaking to GPlus, Utpal Borpujari said, “It’s a great honour and privilege to serve on such an important jury panel. This is the first time Government has announced a category in the OTT section. It is a significant step forward to recognise good work being done in the OTT space.”
“It’s also an honour that I can be there, part of the team representing Assamese and northeastern cinema. It’s a big honour for me,” he further added.
A total of 32 entries from 15 OTT platforms, spanning 10 languages, have been shortlisted for contention in the inaugural Best Web Series category. The winning series will be honoured with a certificate and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
The film ‘Catching Dust’ from Britain is set to open IFFI on Monday, while the American film ‘The Featherweight’ will conclude the gala on November 28. The opening event which will be at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Panaji will be hosted by actors Aparshakti Khurrana and Karishma Tanna. The event will feature performances by Shriya Saran and Nushratt Bharucha.
The star-studded guest list for the festival includes luminaries such as Vijay Sethupathi, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Sunny Deol, Karan Johar, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, Sukhwinder Singh, among others.
