SRK to be chief guest at film fest in Melbourne

Melbourne (IANS) – Superstar Shah Rukh Khan will be the chief guest at the 10th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Helmed by the government of the state of Victoria, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will be taking place between August 8-17. This year the festival is set to celebrate the central theme of ‘courage’, which is engraved in the inclusivity and diversity of the Indian film business. King Khan, as he’s admirably referred to globally, will be opening the festival officially on August 8 along with the other festival guests and in the company of the ‘Premier of Victoria’ and Mitu Bhowmick Lange, the Director of the festival. Shah Rukh feels honoured and delighted to accept the invitation from the Victorian government and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne to open their festival as their chief guest.

“An industry of our magnitude and diversity deserves to be celebrated with great passion and fervour, which is what the festival embodies,” Shah Rukh said in a statement.

“I’m particularly pleased with the theme of the festival this year which is courage, an emotion that resonates with storytellers who really have the might to change the society and the world.

“I have had great memories of shooting for ‘Chak De! India’ in Melbourne and look forward to being back again, this time to celebrate Indian cinema,” he added.

Announcing the news, Daniel Andrews, the Premier of Victoria, said: “The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is a much-loved event that celebrates the strong relationship between Victoria and India and our own vibrant Indian community.

“This event has grown significantly over the past decade and with the extraordinary Shah Rukh Khan here, this year’s festival is shaping up to be the biggest and most exciting yet.”

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley said: “A celebration of film, community and culture, the Indian Film Festival puts Melbourne in the spotlight and attracts more than 35,000 people each year.

“The Bollywood and Indian film industry is the biggest in the world and in addition to supporting this festival, we’ve announced a new Bollywood and Indian Cinema Attraction Fund to bring more film productions from India and the subcontinent to Victoria.”

Director of the festival, Mitu Bhowmick Lange, added: “We are so elated with the news of Mr. Khan joining us to be our chief guest. He’s truly an icon of Indian cinema internationally, a person millions and millions follow and look upto.”