Grand show to end IFFI

Arbaaz Khan attending with girlfriend Giorgia Andriani, Kabir Bedi’s heartwarming introduction to the legend Salim Khan, stellar performances by X1X dance group and singer Vipin Aneja, I&B minister Rajyavardhan Rathore’s address to the audience in the sweetest Konkani and an invite to the grand 50th celebration of the festival next year — these were just some of the highlights of the extravagant closing ceremony of the 49th International Film Festival of India held on Wednesday evening at Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Indoor Stadium in

Taleigao

.
The excited audience took their seats as early at 2.30 pm, while the dignitaries started arriving only past 4 pm. Actors Anil Kapoor, Kabir Bedi, Rakul Preet, Chitrangada Singh, Diana Penty and Keerthi Suresh walked the red carpet, adding to the colour and glamour of the star-studded evening. The event was also attended by

IFFI

2018 Lifetime Achievement Awardee Dan Wolman, Union and State Ministers, steering committee members and the jury of IFFI 2018.
Actors Harman Baweja and Sophie Choudry took the audience through the evening, the high point being singer Vipin Aneja’s renditions of Soch Na Sake, Tere Sang Yaara and the classic Mohammed Rafi number Gulabi Ankhen!
Actor Kabir Bedi introduced veteran

Bollywood

writer Salim Khan for the special IFFI award for his exceptional contribution to Indian cinema. “Films may be an audio-visual medium, but it all begins with the written word. Great stories are written by great writers,” Bedi said, recounting how Salim had come to Mumbai to pursue acting, but found an alternative career in writing and later on went on to become a prolific screenwriter as part of of the Salim-Javed duo.
The award for him was picked up by son Arbaaz Khan, who read out a message from his father: “I dedicate this award to Indore, my birthplace, to Mumbai, my workplace and the film industry that has given me everything. I would also like to thank Javed Akhtar, without whose contribution this would not have been possible.”