'It's a cruel...': Angry Hansal Mehta reacts as MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2025 gets cancelled, says 'another casualty of...'

The unexpected cancellation of the 2025 edition of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has stirred disappointment across the film industry. One of the most vocal reactions came from filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who did not hold back his frustration.

Reacting to the announcement, Mehta voiced his heartbreak and frustration over the city’s inability to nurture its own cinematic legacy. "It's a cruel irony that Mumbai draped in the glitz of being India's financial and cinematic capital cannot keep alive a film festival of its own," he wrote on X.

But he didn’t stop there. In a searing follow-up, Mehta added, "Abandoned by the self-appointed gatekeepers of cinema who chased shinier stages and safer bets, it was left in the hands of a few passionate believers to run on pure faith. And now that fragile flame has been snuffed out. No ceremony. No outrage. Just a slow, silent forgetting. What should have been a cultural cornerstone has been reduced to a footnote, another casualty of apathy dressed as progress."

Festival Team Confirms Revamp, Promises 2026 Return

The remarks came shortly after MAMI Festival Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur issued a formal statement confirming the cancellation, "This is to inform you that the 2025 edition of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival will not take place as we are in the process of revamping the festival with a dynamic vision and a new team."

He added that the team is working toward a comeback in 2026, "We are working diligently to reschedule the festival and will announce the new dates for the 2026 edition as soon as possible."

What’s Being Lost

For years, the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has served as a launchpad for independent voices, regional cinema, and international gems. It was more than just a red-carpet event — it was a celebration of storytelling that bridged cultures, languages, and genres.

With the 2025 edition now shelved, many fear this may mark the beginning of a quiet cultural erosion in a city once considered the heart of Indian cinema.