IFFI: Madhuri Dixit Inaugurates Indian Panorama Section

Bollywood actress, Madhuri Dixit, inaugurated the Indian Panorama section of the 42^nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), on Thursday, in Panaji, Goa.

"I am honored to be here. I thank the Indian and Goa government for inviting me. Goa is a wonderful place and it is a great idea to hold IFFI here," said the actress at the event. The event then saw the screening of Makarand Brahme's non-feature Hindi film "Adwait Sangeet" and Santhosh Sivan's Malayalam feature film "Urumi". The actress also felicitated jury members behind the selection of the films. The inauguration ceremony also featured actor Jackie Shroff and the event's Director, Shankar Mohan and the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ambika Soni.

The Minister, when addressing the gathering, stressed on the growing position of Indian cinema and asked that the IFFI become a "truly international event- an international people's festival." The Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat, also spoke, saying that his government was working towards making Goa a more desirable and permanent destination for films.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, the chief guest for the opening day's ceremony, shared his views on cinema as a medium that bound people together. He spoke of cinema as the "modern art of storytelling a collective focus addressed to all, open to all and including all".

Meanwhile, the event saw the Lifetime Achievement Award conferred on French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier. The festival itself opened with "The Consul of Bordeaux", directed by Francisco Manso and Joao Correa.

Check out the slideshow for photographs of the opening day ceremony.