The 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kicked off in Goa yesterday, however organisers decided not to showcase any 'mainstream' (i.e. blockbuster Hindi films) Indian cinema in the entire festival.

Last year, blockbusters such as Krrish, Lage Raho Munnabhai, and Rang De Basanti were showcased in the mainstream section of the film festival and there were huge serpentine queues to watch these films.

Even the Indian Panorama segment which usually showcases such mainstream films is devoid of any popular blockbuster Hindi film. The two Hindi films that will be showcased in this segment are Sameer Hanchate's Gafla and Bhavna Talwar's controversial film Dharm.

One of the complains of the organizing committee is that many Bollywood producers were unwilling to provide subtitles for their films.

While the real reason for omitting Bollywood from the festival is still not completely certain, it seems ironic that the festival was inaugurated by none other than King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan himself.