Mumbai : From November 20 to 28, Goa will host the 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Actors Shahid Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Pankaj Tripathi, and Nushratt Bharucha, along with singers Shreya Ghoshal and Sukhwinder Singh, are expected to headline the opening ceremony of the highly anticipated film festival.
The Shamaprasad Indoor Stadium in Panaji, Goa will host the festival, which is expected to feature over 250 films in its various sections. Following the ceremony’s opening, Aparshakti Khurrana and Karishma Tanna will serve as hosts.
Several dignitaries are expected to be present at this massive juncture along with eminent personalities from Indian cinema, including Sunny Deol, Vijay Sethupathi, Sara Ali Khan, Karan Johar, among others.
The 54th IFFI has invited Indian actors and filmmakers to promote their upcoming films at the opening gala with Karan Johar and actress Sara Ali Khan along with the team of ‘Ae Watan Mere Watan’ set to unveil the first look of the drama-thriller.
Sukhwinder Singh will sing the film’s inspiring title track during the showcase. The film chronicles the journey of Usha Mehta who during the 1942 Quit India Movement started an underground radio station, Congress Radio, which for a few months broadcast uncensored and even banned news.
Then, Aniruddha Roy Choudhary, the National Award-winning director of the crime thriller “Kadak Singh,” will be introduced by Pankaj Tripathi, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, and Taba Chake.
The movie tells the tale of AK Shrivastav, a Department of Financial Crimes officer who, despite suffering from retrograde amnesia, discovers the truth about a chit fund scam.
The trailer for Vijay Sethupathi’s black comedy “Gandhi Talks,” which is a silent film set in the present day and centers on four characters—Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swami, Siddharth Jadhav, and Aditi Rao Hydari—will also be unveiled.
Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha and IFFI will continue the song and dance routine as they celebrate “The India Story.” The Oscar-winning song “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” will evoke memories of grandeur, while the song “Sami Sami” from “Pushpa” will symbolize the rising popularity of South Indian cinema.
The festivities are scheduled to last for a week. “This IFFI will have 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres, 62 Asia Premieres, and 89 India Premieres,” stated Prithul Kumar, Festival Director-IFFI (Jt. Secretary (Films) & MD/NFDC), in a statement. The greatest of Indian and global cinema can be found in these films, which cut across all boundaries and cultural boundaries.”
“This carries forward the compelling obligation to continue the legacy of showcasing cinematic excellence at the 54th IFFI. The Festival Team is working tirelessly to make sure that the participants enjoy the outstanding films, engage in thought provoking discussions and leave with memories that will last a lifetime,” he added.
The prestigious festival would be further graced by other dignitaries such as Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anupam Kher, Vicky Kaushal, Siddharth Malhotra, Aditi Rao Hydari, AR Rahman, Shreya Ghoshal, Shantanu Moitra, Sukhwinder Singh, Amit Trivedi, among celebrated filmmakers.
