Upala KBR (DNA; June 3, 2016)

First, it was Ranveer Singh. Now, Anushka Sharma has recorded a message for the MAMI Festival in October this year. A Friend of the Festival, the actress’s message calls for entries to the Festival as well. Last year, she donated an amount to MAMI, becoming one of the first celebrities to extend support.

Apart from them, other actors have also recorded messages calling for entries in different regional languages — Riteish Deshmukh (in Marathi), Pawan Kalyan (in Telugu) and Suriya (in Tamil).

Anushka says, “MAMI has undergone a remarkable reinvention. It’s becoming a bigger and better platform for Indian filmmakers — a platform that brings the best of international talent to the city. It’s also amazing to see the all-women team helming this festival and taking it places. I’m happy that I contributed to this movement.”

Smriti Kiran, Creative Director, Mumbai Film Festival says, “As the last date for sending entries is August 10. We want to invite movies of each and every language from all corners of India (and not just Hindi films) and to get this message across every nook and cranny of our country. We are telling all filmmakers that the film festival is if for everyone so please submit your entries. The idea behind using the biggest of regional stars is to call for cinema from all the different languages as possible.”

B-Town stars have given their help generously. Smriti says, “We are just asking them for something simple — lend us your face and voice so people can sit up and take notice. Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan… A host of people helped us unconditionally.”