Panaji : Actor Rashmika Mandanna spoke about the 55th International Film Festival of India and said that it is a platform for the "celebration of films".
"Film festival; what it means to me is celebration. It's where all of us celebrate our films. Films we shoot for over one, two, three, or four years together, and finally we get to celebrate the films, and I'm grateful for it," she told the media during the closing ceremony.
Singer Amaal Mallik added, "As a performer, I have come for the first time. I have been coming to attend the festival, but this is the first time that I have been invited to perform, and that feels very good. Very amazing feeling, and in Goa, every year this happens, almost 55 years. It's beautiful. I think so many people come together for such a big event."
As for IFFI 2024, the closing ceremony saw the attendance of eminent personalities such as director Ramesh Sippy, actor Pratik Gandhi, actress and politician Jaya Prada, Rupali Ganguly and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, among others.
Sharing her experience of attending the festival, actress and politician Jaya Prada shared, "I am feeling proud and grateful that I have been invited to attend such a big platform."
Rupali added, " I am so proud to be a part of it. And it's my first time here and coming here as a jury member for the Web series. It feels I just feel so honoured."
The festival, which began on November 20, showcased over 180 international films from 81 countries, including 16 world premieres, three international premieres, 43 Asian premieres, and 109 Indian premieres.
Notably, the organisers paid tribute to four Indian cinema legends to mark their 100th birth anniversaries: actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor, director Tapan Sinha, Telugu cinema star Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), and singer Mohammed Rafi. The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concludes today, November 28.