The 29th Kolkata International Film Festival kicked off today at Netaji Indoor Stadium in presence of veteran actors, film stars and musicians from Tollywood and Bollywood. Salman Khan announced the festival opening, while Anil Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Sonakshi Sinha, Mahesh Bhatt and Timangshu Dhulia attended the event as special guests. Ranjit Mallick, Sabitri Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Anjan Dutt, Lily Chakraborty, Paran Bandopadhyay, Sandip Ray and Dipankar De were felicitated for their contributions to cinema over the decades. Global dignitaries and jury members such as Pavel Lungin from Russia, and Laurence Kardish from USA were present too.
The evening started off with Rupankar Bagchi, Iman Chakraborty, Aditi Munshi, Indrani Sen, Indranil Sen and Manomay Bhattacharya performing the state song- Banglar Maati Banglar Jol, followed by a vibrant dance performance by Dona Ganguly and her troupe, that showcased the diversity of our country. This was followed by Raj Chakrabarty, chairman, KIFF, announcing a screening of the official festival song for this year, which made the guests on stage groove. Raj also said, “This festival will be on till December 12, and will screen almost 219 films from 39 countries in these few days. There will also be masterclasses by Saurabh Sukhla, Saugata Mukherjee, Manoj Bajpayee and Sudhir Mishra apart from other events like the Satyajit Ray Memorial Lecture, exhibitions, displays, panel discussions and cine adda.”
Sourav Ganguly, brand ambassador of West Bengal addressed the crowd next by saying, “This is a city that has not only produced actors but has given numerous stalwarts across fields who have contributed to the national cultural fabric immensely. This is the first time I’m meeting Salman, and also his first time attending KIFF. This is not just a film festival but a celebration of international films, regional films, local films and more.”
Shatrughan Sinha mesmerised the audience by not just delivering his speech in fluent Bengali, but also incorporating some of his classic dialogues such as “khaamosh” within his words. He reminisced growing up in Patna, in the neighbouring state of Bihar and also attending the 27th KIFF. Sonakshi Sinha, his daughter said, “I share a deep connection with Kolkata. I was born when my father was shooting for Goutam Ghose’s Antarjali Jatra in the city. I’d also received the maximum amount of love for Lootera, where I played the role of a Bengali girl, so my connection with this city is very special.”
Mahesh Bhatt took to stage to quote American author Ayisha Siddiqa’s poem Gamble on Humanity to highlight how cameras, actors and stories are the only tool to break the chain of destruction in this war ravaged world.
Anil Kapoor too, like Shatrughan Sinha addressed the crowd in Bengali to remember the days when he was shooting in Kolkata for Calcutta Mail. He paid his tributes to the Bengali Mahanayak Uttam Kumar, sharing how coincidentally they both have done films named Nayak, and how he is inspired by the yesteryear actor. He also talked about Satyajit Ray saying, “Ray’s cinematic genius inspired generations.” He concluded by referring to Salman Khan as the Mahanayak of Hindi cinema in contemporary times.
Salman Khan then revealed the official brochure for the film festival and took the stage. “I was in Kolkata a few months back for a concert, when the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee invited me to attend the film festival. I am mesmerised by the city audience everytime I’m here, especially how enthusiastic they are about films.”
(With inputs from agencies)