Vardaan Finale Highlights the Power of Cinema for Social Change
Kaaya Takes Top Honour as the World’s First Film Festival on Organ Donation Closes
New Delhi: Cinema centred on organ and body donation took centre stage at the closing of the Vardaan International Film Festival today, as award-winning films and prominent voices from public life underlined the role of storytelling in shaping social attitudes and future participation in the movement.
The festival, held at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, concluded its inaugural edition as the world’s first film festival devoted exclusively to organ and body donation. It was organised by the Dadhichi Dehdaan Samiti in collaboration with Sampreshan Multimedia.
In the short film category, Nilesh Mandlewala’s Kaaya – The Mission of Life received the Best Film Award. Thank You Zindagi secured second position, while Umang finished third. The Best Documentary award went to Myth Surrounding Kidney. In the music video category, Rashmi Jain won the top honour for Ek Dhadkan, with Nilesh Mandlewala’s Angdaan Karve Re Manav Tu named runner-up.
Member of Parliament, actor and singer Manoj Tiwari attended the closing ceremony and performed the devotional composition “Chunariya Jheeni Re Jheeni”. Reflecting on the transient nature of the human body, he described organ and body donation as the highest form of charity and urged the audience to see donation as a shared moral responsibility.
Patron of the Samiti Alok Kumar, in his concluding address, shared accounts drawn from real-life experiences of organ and body donation and emphasised cinema’s role as a catalyst for social change. He said the Vardaan Film Festival would be expanded to wider national and international platforms in the coming years with the aim of transforming awareness into sustained engagement. Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra joined him in felicitating the award winners.
A masterclass by senior journalist and National Film Award–winning critic Anant Vijay drew strong interest from students and filmmakers. Praising the response to the inaugural edition, he predicted that the next edition of the festival could attract more than 200 film entries.
The cultural programme added a ceremonial close to the evening. Disciples of Padma Shri awardee Kathak duo Nalini-Kamalini presented Tiranga and Tarana performances, while ghazal singer Jazim Sharma captivated the audience with his renditions, lending a reflective tone to the proceedings.
With award-winning films, performances and projections for future growth, the festival concluded with organisers reiterating its purpose of blending art with awareness and using cinema to nurture compassion and encourage informed decisions on organ and body donation.
– global bihari bureau
