Comments
With a tribute to women’s contribution to Indian cinema, the 47th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) kick-started here, offering movie lovers a bouquet of films from across the globe.
The ceremony began on a sombre note as Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, M Venkaiah Naidu asked the audience to observe a one-minute silence to pay homage to the victims of UP train crash today.
The festival then commenced with a gala opening performance, choreographed by Ganesh Acharya.
Sushant Singh Rajput and veteran film-maker Ramesh Sippy lit the lamp along with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Chief minister of Goa Laxmikant Parsekar, Governor of Goa Mridula Sinha among others.
“I am honoured to welcome everyone. We have come a long way since 2004 and even the years before that. The year 2004 marked a milestone for Goans as it was declared the venue for the first time. In 2014, it was declared by the government as the permanent venue for IFFI,” Parsekar said.
The opening ceremony celebrated the journey and contribution of women in Indian Cinema with a special ‘Ode to a Woman’ performance, which showcased the changing face of women in Indian films from the 50s to today. The performance was choreographed by Acharya.
From the film industry, people like Divya Dutta, Nagesh Kukunoor, Nana Patekar, Sudhir Mishra, Mukesh among others were present. Suhasini Maniratnam and Surveen Chawla hosted the event.
Renowned Korean film-maker Im Kwon Taek, best known for his films such as “Wife”, “The Family Pedigree”, “Evergreen” and Chunhyang”, “Ghiwaseon” and “Low Life”, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival.
Acclaimed singer, S P Balasubrahmanyam, was felicitated with ‘Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year-2016’ by Naidu.
“I am embarrassed to know how ancient I am. But I am happy that I am still working... I dedicate this award to my mother and all those who have martyred themselves to keep us safe here. This award is to all those at the border. I dedicate this to you, with pride and humility. We are nothing without you,” the singer added.
Balasubrahmanyam has been one of the most prolific singers of the country with over 40,000 song recordings to his credit including “Ye Hasi Vaadiya”, “Mere rang main rang ne waali” and “Roja”.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.