Madhuri-Shahid’s performance to kick off IFFI today

Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; November 20, 2023)

In past years, IFFI (International Film Festival of India) wasn’t known for its starry lineups or red carpet photo-ops. However, in recent years, including the current edition, IFFI boasts of star-studded ceremonies, gala premieres, and OTT segments, drawing the biggest names in Indian cinema.

‘IFFI IS EXPECTED TO SURPASS PREVIOUS EDITIONS IN TERMS OF CELEBRITY WATTAGE’
Today’s opening ceremony will be headlined by Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Shahid Kapoor. Pankaj Tripathi will recite a couple of poems by Atal Bihari Vajpayee while Shriya Saran, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal and Sukhwinder Singh are also set to perform. This year, the opening ceremony will be hosted by Aparshakti Khurrana and Karishma Tanna.

I&B officials say that Sunny Deol, Vijay Sethupathi, Sara Ali Khan and Karan Johar are expected.

PERFORMANCES ON NAATU NAATU, JHOOME JO PATHAAN AT THE OPENING CEREMONY
An official note stated that the idea is to tell India’s story through songs. It mentioned that while RRR’s Naatu Naatu performance will bring back Oscar glory, Pushpa’s Saami Saami will represent the growing popularity of South Indian cinema. Jhoome Jo Pathaan and Jawan’s Not Ramaiya Vastavaiya will celebrate the resurrection of Hindi cinema, while 83’s Jeetega Jeetega will celebrate Chandrayaan III’s successful landing and India’s Asian Games wins. Several other performances are also lined up.

A STARRY LINEUP AT IFFI
As per the schedule, Michael Douglas, Cathering Zeta-Jones, Salman Khan, Vidya Balan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Anupam Kher, Vicky Kaushal, Sidharth Malhotra, Aditi Rao Hydari, A R Rahman, Shreya Ghoshal, Shantanu Moitra, Sukhwinder Singh will be present along with several other celebs and filmmakers. The closing ceremony will be headlined by Ayushmann Khurrana and Amit Trivedi.
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Cinema has given me so much, it's time to give something back. What better way to do so than through song and dance which is integral to not just Indian cinema, but Indian culture as well
- Madhuri Dixit-Nene, who was honourd as the Indian Film Personality of the year at IFFI last year
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Doing great work comes naturally when you're passionate about what you do. And performing in front of a live audience is something I've truly loved ever since I remember
- Shahid Kapoor
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IFFI has always offered a platform for inspiring stories and storytellers who unmask corruption and clean the system, thereby inspiring and empowering us
- Pankaj Tripathi
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IFFI has been growing every year thanks to the passion of our filmmakers from across the country and the collaboration that we have been able to forge with the directors and producers from across the world
- Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting
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The Indian media and entertainment industry has been growing at an average of 20% annually over the last three years, with a special focus on original stories for a global audience
- Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting


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