Happy Birthday PFC!!!
Seven days to go for September 3rd 2006. About ten of the eighteen people were feverishly exchanging emails with each other. “When can we see the design???” “When do we start posting?” “oz you should also put up some of your old articles” “Wait I don’t see Spanish language included in the sections” “Where the hell is the logo???” etc. etc.
PFC was going live on September 3rd 2006 and I still didn’t have the design ready. Using my minimal XHTML and CSS skills I was struggling with it, trying to get it right. If Ms. Firefox liked the top left placement of the menu bar then Ms. Internet Explorer wouldn’t and would kick the menu bar somewhere right in the middle. The guy making the PFC logo was tearing his hair apart. I would reject everything he sent. Punds was slapping my inbox with articles to be published. My web host was skeptical if I could survive on a shared server (he was right, we never lasted more than 5 months on the shared server space)… but everything did fall in place. I activated the site around 24th or 25th of August and September 3rd morning after having run a million tests, we went live and announced it on web.
It was simply a site back then that I’d floated so the eighteen - twenty odd readers of my own blog could talk, discuss, pass on info, review and all that on cinema. Like today, there weren’t any rules. Just hammer anything you would like to. Except it has to be absolutely original and interesting. The format would be casual. Talk on PFC in the way you would talk over chai or a few drinks. The frequency was rigid - yes… I would keep emailing the eighteen, I need to read atleast one post a day.
If anyone had told me on September 3rd, 2006 what PFC would be on September 3rd, 2007, I would have thought that the person had had one too many or needed to see a psychiatrist pronto.
Then a month later Anurag commented, we emailed him, he called and was the first to start blogging from the film industry. The net was on fire. While dabbling between providing the causes on AS/400 Shutdowns at my previous firm - at a board meeting, I was alternating between answering questions to the CEO and Vice Presidents while dabbling with Photoshop on my laptop to create an image to put it on PFC. The featured author images that you see in the sidebar has it’s origins in that board meeting.
A week later a few of the first eighteen started firing emails. With Anurag on board, there was thirst for interacting with more filmmakers. They had tasted blood in the direct contact. I contacted Suparn with whom I’d exchanged emails a year ago when he had emailed me on my post where I’d not so sweetly reviewed his movie. Kaveeta, Pavan’s wife around the time emailed me showing interest in a fiction series that I had just written online. And a week later I was talking to Pavan… somewhere around that time, Sam came in commenting on PFC and a few days later, Hansal left a few comments. PFC was organically taking a form of it’s own. I only had to follow where it took me.
In the past one year the reclusive me, has met so many people, made more friends, more enemies than what I managed to in the five years prior to PFC. From a dozen odd emails each day a year ago, my inbox is hammered with more than a hundred. It has been exciting, stressful, fun, rocking, and all that in a year.
Maybe someday I’ll talk about some of those behind the scenes stories of PFC… and I could write a few thousand pages of those… but today is not the day for that.
For today I would like to thank those eighteen, who motivated me and encouraged me to work on the idea that is now PFC. And to all my friends from the film industry who took the courage to come out and turn the filmmaker-film viewer traditional mode of communication, upside down, redefine it…. thank you.
There are many exciting things lined up. A few shall be revealed later this week… and yes the mystery of “One” will be resolved very shortly… 
and no it has nothing to do with our first anniversary.
Before I turn this into a speech… a big Thank you dear readers and authors of PFC.
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Three cheers for OZ and PFC! Hip Hip Hurray!
=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>
Birth day wishes to PFC,
“Many Happy Returns of the Day”
May its roof calls many many to share something out of their own ideas about cinema.
Long Live PFC and live with vibrant health!:d
congrats PFC, congrats oz, and here’s wishing PFC many more years of vibrant cinematic discussions :)>- =D>
we’ve gone thru some good times and some bad, but we’ve gone thru it TOGETHER, and will continue to do so… three cheers! <:-p
Congrats Oz, congrats PFC and all its 18 founder members.
and looking forwards to growing ol with PFC.
=d>Am glad to have become a part of its first year
…Hic Hic hurray….mr takkas!!
One year has flown by so fast! Congratualtions to everyone reading and posting - the community - that’s what makes PFC special!
Oz - what about posting some stats - # of posts, comments etc. Will be a nice numerical recap to go with the emotional one
Yea…Yea… ONE YEAR!!! Thanks to everyone who made it possible and especially to Oz!!!
Keep em coming…
Happy B’day PFC!!!A special thanx to oz…and cheers to many more such happy budddays to come..
cheers…rock on guys!!!
^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^
=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>
happy B’day PFC, Thanks to OZ and every one who made it possible…. ^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>=d>
Oz Congratulations,And all those eighteen founding members..Hats off to your faith and commitment and cheers to Anurag for leading the pack..It feels good to be part of PFC..Wishing it all the best all the way..Happy Birthday
Congrats..Oz..would like to see PFC going places…under your able guidance and the advises of the `18 founding partners…yes..this is an organic development..but what development…rocking boss!!! HIP HIP HURRAY!!!!
Thanks to Oz and everyone involved for giving us PFC. Thanks for this Wonderful space. ^:)^
Hey Oz,
Thanks a ton mate for putting up this site and getting all us cribbers and moaners a place to weep and puke our guts out. :d
It was by sheer chance that I found this site at first and like all serious internet surfers thought it to be a bucket load of crock. I was somewhat surprised to see myself keep logging on to the site and trying to see the rants and raves from my fellow travellers and it got interesting and definitely enriching (even in the Gaali Section)
It took me more gumption to then actually ask you to put me also as a writer for this site and was somewhat surprised to see that you also accepted me and well proved my initial trepidation that you did accept pedestrain stuff also
Well albeit all that, you have done a cool job dude and thanks to the whole PFC team for getting us this podium where we can talk amongst a lot of other grouses about movies also
Hope am still around when PFC celebrates its 10th or 50th birthday
Cheers Mate,
Deepak
Heartiest congratulations! To many more…
Cheers!!!
great job, folks!
More power to you.
Janamdin Ki Hardik Shubhkamnayein!
Taaaliyaaan=d>
Thank You Oz…..One year and survived and applauded and recognized and very importantly has retained it’s simple kid like romance with cinema……it’s tough being a kid always and there is always a danger of growing up….PFC has grown and how
Happpy Bday PFC….we cut a delicious cake last night for the baby…videos coming soon. Congrats oz bhai…glad and happy and privileged to be a part of PFC…Kudos :d/:d/:d/:d/
Hi Oz,
Congrats and many happy returns and all that jazz. I think it’s a terrific community and when i return home late and drained….it’s truly fun to log on to pfc…and just read articles, arguments, replies, taalis and gaalis.
The toughest thing for me (any filmmaker) is to get frank, sincere opinions…people who’ll say what they think. and the truth. Praise feels nice, but criticism really HELPS.
Imdb is still my top favourite site but PFC is second.
All the best and a huge thank you.
For me, the journey really started on that fateful day in Jan 2005 when Amrish Puri passed away and someone from SoCal chose to write about it on Sulekha - my exact feelings - in his powerful words. Happy birthday PFC! Thank you DT!! Congrats Oz!!!
Ab OZ ro padega aur bolega…bhaiyoon ye to khushi ke aanson hain…
Sriram…thnx 4 that honest feedback. it HELPS. hopefully will be able to replace imdb from number 1 position soon…ha ha ha
OZ bhai aagey badho hum tumhaare saath hain… (Brother OZ keep on going, we are always there with you).
Great, Superb, fantastic!!!
Well done Oz and team! I am glad that I had the pleasure of lurking around from day 1 and eventually being able to kick the lethargy and start commenting as well. Long live PFC!
Oz…Congratulations…:d/
Thanks a ton for this brain child of yours…
Cannot thank you enough…
Congrats OZ. Dont really remember how and when i bumped into this site. But i think, i have been reading it for more than 7 odd months.
To say the least, iam hooked. At least 2 visits daily to this site. Thanks for being the bridge between us (the audience) and the ones who make our dreams come true on screen.
I still cant believe that i read articles written by people like Anurag, Suparn, Hanslal Mehta, Sudhir Mishra…..
And to think that i can write direct to them is simply astounding.
Cheers to OZ. Cheers to the power of internet. Cheers to PFC. May we see many many many more anniversaries of this site.
+++
Congratulations! PFC, Oz and team. We have loved the petulance of this 1-year old. Here’s to future.
Janam Din Mubarak!!
Great going OZ
It feels very special to be a part of PFC.
Muchos Gracias.
Kavita
thanks Oz to give us a gem called “PFC”
Tum jio hazzaro saal,saal ke din ho dus lakh :):)
Happy Birthday PFC, Thanks to Oz and Oz. For past 8-9 odd months, I’ve been reading and visiting PFC. PFC rocks. Waiting to know, what the hell is 1, Ek?:-?
Happy Budday PFC and congrats Oz! <:-p
1??
THANX OZ… PFC IS A PART OF ME…EVERYDAY.. THANX YOU!! Looking forward to a few international directors, like spielberg, coppola, jackson, mira nair, majid majidi..
or am I asking for too much… :d
hey grea8 OZ(PFC)
if we talk about PFC….we remmber OZ they both are made for each other……….the passion in u for this revolutnry site THE WAY MOTIVET PEOPLE, AUTHER,ITS REALLY GREAT THING………i truly respect u n hats off to u for that
my lots of love n wishs with you oz & PFC
HAPPY B’DAY PFC
LOVE U oz
Hello Oz,
You dont know me and i dont know you much too but I think you have done a great job with PFC.
Rock on.
Sharath
OZ bhai -
hazaar ^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^ to you and the eighteen others .. because of whom PFC was created …
and a thousand ^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^^:)^
to the readers and filmakers who login everyday …
Love u maan for this wonderful gift
and of course …. Happy Birthday to PFC
Jo Jeeta Wohi SIKKA-nder :d
Thanks guys for opening up the doors to filmmakers and filmviewers alike and strengthening this Bridge we so affectionately call PFC!
Thanks yaar Oz Bhai, jeeyo paaji mere!
Congratulations and best regards to all connected with PFC. Good work OZ and here’s looking for many more years of great writing, great insights and off-course, new authors.
Thanks.
FUCK…sala PFC ko ek saal ho gaya!!! pata hi nahin chala!!! congrats oz…conrats pfc…congrats everyone.
Suchita ab bol hi diya hai to Oz bhaiyya spielberg aur coppola ko sambhal hi lenge…
Pratim, hopefully, Oz bhaiyya is listening too:(
oz bhaiya>:d< ...thanks for this beautiful chapter in my life of cinema!...all the best!:)>-
Was not Rakshabandhan last week?
Today is Janmashtami.
we can celebrate two Bdays today.:)
Congrats pal! Well begun is half done
Belated happy birthday to PFC and congrats to Oz.
)
I haven’t been able to check PFC very much lately, I’m afraid but I remember how I found out about it.
I came to know about PFC through two different people: Punds and HG. I found it so funny that without knowing each other they were both recommending the same site and then I discovered the man behind it was the same Oz whose Desi Train Punds read. It’s a small world (or was is it “Its a small Net”?
The net makes the world small.
munhasir waqt e mukarrar pe mulakaat hui
aaj ye aapke jaanib se nai baat hui
pfc ka safar yun hi jaari rahe..happy birthday ..
great work oz and the others…………keep it up…
Brings back a year of great memories,Hoping that PFC just moves ahead and ahead..
Belated Happy B’day PFC… TIME FLIES!!!
for those who dont really remember how PFC was at the begining or are feeling nostalgic and all…
heres a cache of arnd 26th nov (caution:page loads v.v.v.slowly)
http://web.archive.org/web/20061114010102/http://passionforcinema.com/
i mean…
>>caution: page loads v.v.v slowly
:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-
Many many happy returns of the day to PFC.
Also thanks to OZ and others related with PFC for this wonderful work.
belated happy bday to pfc ND OZ DIS SI FOR U:)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-
good idea like a wine or “maavadu” gathers taste as it ages. PFC is all the more exciting and interesting to be in NOW.
hey!!! belated happy birthday….i got hooked into this site when i was reading a chat of Anurag on Rediff…this website has literally changed my perception towards cinema…i used to feel that Kjo n Yashraj is cinema…but that has completely changed now…i thank PFC for this change in me n i’ll be its reader all throughout my life…
You know, the last few days I’ve been reading this book called The Tipping Point (by Malcolm Gladwell); I’m sure most of you all might’ve read it or heard about it. And it talks about how a little thing/change can make a big difference. While reading, I was constantly reminded of PFC. I’d like to think that a few years down the line when people look back at where comtemporary Indian cinema took a turn, they will look at PFC as (one of) the tipping point or at least, a medium that made a significant contribution. I think that is PFC’s biggest achievement. For me, PFC has opened up this jar of big, bad Bollywood mystery; I’ve got to know that one to go through all kinds of pains to get a film made in India. I appreciate cinema more now, even the so-called crap!
Thank you to all who helped in putting up this great forum. I’d like to think it will inspire me to join the club … sometime …
Rock on PFC !! Rock on …. :)>-