Two superstars of Indian cinema — Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth — will share stage at the opening ceremony of the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), scheduled to kick off in Goa on November 20.
Bachchan will attend the festival as chief guest while Rajinikanth will be conferred with the special centenary award for Indian film personality of the year. This was stated by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting on Tuesday.
Apart from the two superstars, eminent Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai will be honoured with the lifetime Achievement Aaward during the 11-day festival. His latest film, The Grandmaster would bring down the curtains on the festival. The President by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf will mark the opening of the film.
According to Rathore, China is the focus country this year. “We hope to collaborate on films and release our movies in the Chinese market,” the Minister said.A special tribute has been planned for the actors who passed away this year. These include Richard Attenborough, Robbie Williams, Zohra Sehgal, Suchitra Sen, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Farookh Sheikh and AK Nageswara.
The retrospective sections of the festival will screen films of Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner Gulzar besides Jahnu Barua, acclaimed director from North-East.