Film fever grips Goa as 37th IFFI opens tomorrow

Panaji, Nov 22 (UNI) The tiny coastal state of Goa is all set for the opening tomorrow of the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), one of the most celebrated events of the entertainment world.

The city is already in the grip of cinema menia as stars have started descending for the eleven-day gala event which will be kick started with an eclectic pick of global, national and regional films and other entertainment events.

The organisers have billed the extravaganza as a ''much better and bigger treat.'' Veteran film actor Shashi Kapoor will inaugurate the gala event in the presence of a galaxy of stars and other prominent figures from the world of entertainment besides thousands of movie buffs.

Actors Anil Kapor and Prosenjit Chatteree will be guests of honour on the occasion.

Besides, the two-and-a-half-hour opening will feature a host of movie stars including Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Diya Mirza, Malaika Arora, Soha Ali Khan and Esha Deol(representing Bollywood), Prabhu Deva(south), Bappi Lahiri(Bengali), Manoj Tiwari (Bhojpuri) Sachin and Supriya (Marathi) and Harbajan Mann(Punjabi).

The gala opening will be held at an open ground near the Kala Academy, the Bandodkar Football Ground at Campal, one of the two venues for the festival since 2004, at 1730 hrs.

The guests will arrive at the venue in a boat and step on to the jetty for a red carpet welcome.

Besides Mr Shashi Kapoor, the inaugural ceremony will be addressed by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Joint Secretary films and director of the Film Festival V S Pyarelal told a news conference on the eve of the event.

Kicking off the celebrations will be a dazzling float parade which will proceed from Mandovi Bridge, sashay along the streets of Panaji, pass the Kala Academy Stand to culminate at Campal.

The parade will showcase the diverse hues of world cinema with portrayals of popular Hollywood and Bollywood movies.

This will be followed by a spectacular air show by the Indian Navy.

Goa Chief Secreatary J P Singh said security has been beefed up in the state in view of the festival and the coming tourist season with four companies of the CISF having been deployed.

He said that Goa was poised to become an international destination for the film and entertainment industry and was making all out efforts to acquire state of the art infrastructure and facilities.

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