Filmmaker Rahul Rawail has replaced Sujoy Ghosh as the the chief of the jury for the Indian Panorama section at the 48th International Film Festival Of India (IFFI), which kickstarted in Goa on Monday.

Confirming the development, Rawail said: "That's right. I've taken on this job at the IFFI's request after someone else (Sujoy Ghosh) chose to relinquish the responsibility. In fact, I am in Goa now.

"I am the acting jury head, and I'm honoured to be doing the job, because this is a platform where the world looks at us and the best films must be selected."

Ghosh had resigned from the job of heading the jury for the Indian Panorama at IFFI after two films – Sanal Sasidharan's Malayalam movie S Durga and Ravi Jadhav's Marathi movie Nude – were ousted from the final list.

Rawail had stoutly defended the two films' ouster when other jury members including Ghosh and Apurva Asrani preferred to resign from the IFFI.