The inclusion of Indian mainstream cinema in IFFI 2003 speaks of a serious intent on part of the Directorate of Film Festivals (the nodal agency responsible for organising the film festival) to consciously take away from the popular notion that the country's most prestigious International Film Event looks at niche cinema alone.

Not only did the festival open with a hardcore mainstream Hindi film Pinjar, directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi with a full-blown star cast that includes Manoj Bajpai and Urmila Matondkar, it also has included recent hits such as Andaaz  starring Akshay Kumar and lissome beauties (read bimbettes like Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra). 

The package also includes Shaad Ali's hit Saathiya (starring Rani Mukherjee with new wunderkid Vivek Oberoi), Humraaz  (which starred Akshaye Khanna alongside Bobby Deol) and the Telegu hit Avunu Vaal Iddaru Ishtapaddaru and Abhi  the Kannada hit.

Mainstream package includes

Humraaz (Hindi)
Saathiya  (Hindi)
Andaaz  (Hindi)
10th F (Hindi)
Dhool  (Tamil)
Run (Tamil)
Avunu Vaal Iddaru Ishtapaddaru (Telegu)
Kasthuri Maan (Malayalam)
Abhi  (Kannada)