The city was abuzz with anticipation as the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) approached its inauguration. The hopes were high for a rare moment when Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan would share the stage.
However, sources inform that Bachchan and SRK won’t be present. Meanwhile, Salman is set to make his inaugural appearance at KIFF, generating enough enthusiasm among his fans. Despite the absence of two Bollywood icons, the glamour quotient at the 29th KIFF remains intact. The festival, which is scheduled from December 5 to 12, will witness the presence of South superstar Kamal Haasan, evergreen Anil Kapoor and the beautiful Sonakshi Sinha.
Every year, on the invitation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a bevy of Bollywood icons like senior Bachchan, Shah Rukh, Jaya Bachchan and others grace the inauguration event. The cinelovers look forward to the iconic speeches from
Big B and SRK.
However, this year, due to health reasons, Bachchan won’t be attending, and SRK is occupied with his daughter Suhana’s debut ‘The Archies’ and his film ‘Dunki.’
Despite these absences, the arrival of the ‘Tiger 3’ actor has stirred excitement in Kolkata, especially with the film’s impressive Rs 300 crore earnings in India within 10 days. In May 2023, during Salman’s visit to the city for an event, the superstar even met the CM at her residence.
Meanwhile, this year, KIFF would pay a centenary tribute to Mrinal Sen and Dev Anand. Also, seven Bengali films have been selected at the Bengali Panorama. Anjan Dutt’s movie ‘Chalchitra Ekhon,’ a personal tribute to his mentor Sen, will be screened in the International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images section.