The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began in Goa on Wednesday (November 20). The event was attended by many stalwarts of the film industry including Manoj Bajpayee, Randeep Hooda and Nagarjuna along with soon-to-be married couple Naga Chaitanya and Shobhita Dhulipala. This year, IFFI is hosting a massive tribute program to honor the 100th birth anniversary of four stalwarts of Indian cinema: actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, director Tapan Sinha, Telugu cinema star Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), and singer Mohammad Rafi.

Nagarjuna attended a special event organized in the honor of his father Akkineni Nageswara Rao with his family. Talking about this, the actor said, “It was a very proud moment when I was told that they were doing this. I couldn’t believe that this was being done. My father’s 100th birthday is being celebrated all over the country and it is only because of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which took this initiative. The National Archive of India restored his films. I have no words to express my gratitude, that is why our entire family is celebrating here.”

Meanwhile, Manoj Bajpayee’s film dispatch It was screened at IFFI on 21 November (Thursday). Talking about the importance of film festivals, the actor said, “The important thing for me is that in every big film festival in India, the people who come to watch films are either film students. Or industry people. These are people who understand the craft. He wants to take cinema forward. It is a big thing to present your film in front of these people.”

Randeep Hooda, whose directorial debut Swatantra Veer Savarkar was the opening film of the Indian Panorama at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2024, expressed his love and admiration for his wife, actress Lynne Laishram. The couple got married in November last year. He said, “My wife Lynn has been lucky for me. I will take leave on the wedding anniversary, I have told everyone. [My wife has been lucky for me. I will take a day off on my wedding anniversary (November 29).]