The International Film Festival Delhi (IFFD) 2026 was inaugurated in the national capital on Wednesday, with Delhi CM Rekha Gupta lighting the inaugural lamp. Nandamuri Balakrishna (65), who was there to receive an award, touched his on-screen mother Hema Malini’s (77) feet as soon as he saw her at the event. Videos of the moment are now circulating on social media.
Balakrishna touches on-screen mother Hema Malini’s feet
A video from the IFFD shows Balakrishna all smiles as he bumps into Hema on the red carpet. He immediately touches her feet and takes her blessings before speaking to her. Hema later shook Balakrishna’s hand and even posed for pictures with him on the red carpet before he walked away to greet someone else.
Sharing the video, an X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, “Mass lo Maharaju… maryada lo Mahaanubhavudu! (He’s the king of mass, and a noble person when it comes to being respectful)” Another wrote, “Video of the day : #NandamuriBalakrishna Garu showing his immense respect for #HemaMalini Garu.” Another person wrote, “His humbleness says it all, #Balayya for a reason,” sharing the video.
Numerous others, who were used to seeing Balakrishna being boisterous, were touched to see his softer side. “This is what true values mean. Nandamuri Balakrishna bowed down to Hema Malini, who once played his mother on screen. Positions may change… but values remain the same,” wrote an X user sharing the video. For the unversed, Hema played Gautami Balasri, Balakrishna’s character’s mother in the 2017 Krish-directorial Gautamiputra Satakarni.
Dharmendra honoured at film festival along with Balakrishna
At the IFFD, Balakrishna, Sharmila Tagore and the late Dharmendra were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Awards for their contributions to Indian cinema. Arjun Kapoor, Nimrat Kaur, Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Lauren Gottlieb, Kangana Ranaut, Vivek Oberoi, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Arvind Swamy, among others, were spotted attending the event.
Ahead of the film festival’s inauguration, Hema told ANI, “I would like to congratulate Rekha Gupta ji for organising the International Film Festival in Delhi. It is going to be there for 4-5 days. She has also invited many artists. Many artists will be honoured at the festival. They are also paying tribute to Dharam ji… So, I will be there to receive it.”
The event is taking place at Bharat Mandapam; Arjun and Nimrat had hosted the opening ceremony. The IFFD will run till March 31. Screenings, discussions, and industry events across various venues in New Delhi are to be expected.
