Melbourne curtain raiser on 9 July precedes 17th edition of festival from 13 to 23 August
List tracks 250 million monthly users; Hindi dominates with 12 of top 20 titles
Channel to air day-long showcase and exclusive brand film honouring iconic stories
Priyadarshan, Chidambaram and Sushin Shyam open up on a mother-son tale told through melody
Veteran filmmaker urges storytellers to prioritise people, trust and observation
