The vibe check in Goa was legit on Thursday, as the streets lit up- literally- to kickstart the 56th International Film Festival of India. In a major departure from the conventional opening ceremony format every year, this time things began with a colourful parade instead. Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant along with Governor Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Sanjay Jaju (Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and Dr L Murugan, Minister of State, Information & Broadcasting, flagged it off.
“IFFI bridges Indian talent with global possibilities. Our dream is to make Goa the Creative Capital of India. Come to Goa, tell your stories, shoot your films. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Indian cinema is reaching international heights,” said CM Pramod as he addressed the crowd, which had gathered in large numbers on the streets. Consisting of larger-than-life tableaus from states such as Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, around 100 artists danced to their folk tunes as the audience cheered them on in the parade. Amidst the celebrations, what was not missed is what IFFI celebrates- cinema. Film production houses, coupled with streaming platform giants, too carried out tableaus which paid a tribute to the Telugu film industry, horror films, and more.
Adding star power to it all were actors Anupam Kher, Sreeleela, Jackie Shroff and Nandamuri Balakrishna, who was also felicitated for completing 50 years as an actor. Festival director, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur was present as well.
IFFI’s Film Bazaar, now renamed WAVES Film Bazaar, was also inaugurated earlier in the day. And surprising the audiences at the same was Guest of Honour Ms. Jaewon Kim, Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, who sang the entire Vande Mataram, and greeted with a standing ovation. IFFI will run till November 28, with gala premieres for films such as Tere Ishk Mein and 120 Bahadur witnessing the presence of their cast including Kriti Sanon and Farhan Akhtar, apart from masterclasses by actor Aamir Khan, filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani and more.
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