Goa, Nov 21: The 46th International Film Festival of India got off to a colourful start evoking nostalgic memories of evolving Indian cinema through various eras.
Compered by actor, singer Ayushmann Khurrana and actress Aditi Rao Hydari, the festival unfolded with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Goa Governor Mridula Sinha in the presence of Union Minister Information and Broadcasting, Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley, Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar, State Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and a host of prominent personalities.
Veteran Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor was the Chief Guest and noted music composer Ilaiyaraaja was the guest of honour.
The International Jury Chairman Shekhar Kapur and other members film director from South Korea Jeon Kyu-hwan, actress from Germany Julia Jentsch, Director/Screenwriter Michael Radford from UK and Screenwriter and Producer Suha Arraf from Israel were also present.
The other Celebrities present on the occasion included Sonakshi Sinha, Kabir Khan, Dev Patel, Devika Bhise and Sushant Singh among others.
Indian dancer and choreographer, Terence Lewis, specializing in contemporary dance and his troupe kept the audience spell-bound.
The theme of the performances ‘Reel life to Real life’ was interwoven with intermittent on stage and on screen performances.
Jaitley said that the International Film Festivals give filmmakers a chance to interact with fellow filmmakers and provide opportunities to showcase the best domestic and international talent.
He said that there could not be a better opportunity than a Film Festival to celebrate the excellence of cinema.
The Minster also mentioned that there would be many new initiatives this year at IFFI-2015 such as a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea of film restoration, master classes with eminent Academy members, a special “ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize” and Talkathons.
Jaitley presented the Centenary Award to the great music composer Ilaiyaraaja which carries a trophy, a cash component of Rs. 10 lakh and a citation.
