Bengal not afraid of anyone: CM at 29th KIFF
Urges Bollywood actors & directors to shoot in Bengal, invites Salman Khan for Bhai Dooj & Raksha Bandhan
KOLKATA: Inaugurating the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) on Tuesday at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that Bengal harbours no fear and proudly upholds the values of humanity.
She emphasised that no external force can divide the nation, and people of all backgrounds will remain united for the love of the motherland.
In response to TMC leader and actor Shatrughan Sinha’s speech, Banerjee said: “Bengal is not afraid of anyone. We love India. We love all our religions and our motherland. Nobody can divide us. We stand for humanity.” The Chief Minister inaugurated the film fest along with Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt and Sourav Ganguly.
She praised Tollywood’s talents and invited Bollywood actors and directors to choose Bengal as a top location for filming.
“Bengal has very nice places like Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong amongst others. For the Mumbai industry, Bengal should be the film destination,” said Banerjee, who joined artistes in singing the state song ‘Banglar Mati Banglar Jol’ at the inaugural ceremony.
Banerjee also mentioned that the state government has already prepared all necessary infrastructure and assured security support. She also encouraged Bollywood to engage Tollywood actors and technicians in their ventures.
In response to Banerjee’s invitation to shoot in Bengal, Salman has graciously agreed to film in the state.
The Chief Minister also extended an invitation to Bollywood’s ‘Bhaijaan’ for the next film festival inauguration, as well as for the celebrations of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj.
Expressing her artistic gesture, Banerjee gifted the ‘Tiger 3’ actor one of her paintings and promised to send her artwork to Anil Kapoor and Mahesh Bhatt as well.
During her speech, Banerjee mentioned missing Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan at the inauguration. She explained that Big B couldn’t make it due to health reasons, while SRK was busy promoting his daughter Suhana’s new project, ‘The Archies.’
