Amidst a standing ovation in a packed indoor stadium, three veteran actors - Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan and Isabelle Huppert - were felicitated at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival of India in Goa. The two mega stars of Indian cinema were all praises when they felicitated each other at the film festival.
"I would like to thank my fans the most. In highs and lows you have been with me and I have always been saying this - I am in debt of your love and affection. I do not want to repay the debt, because I would like to keep it forever," Bachchan said. Commenting on his friendship with Rajinikanth, Bachchan said that he treats the latter like a member of his family. Describing Bachchan as an “inspiration,” Rajinikanth honoured him with a shawl. “There is always this bickering between us... There are times when I give him some advice and then there are days, when he suggests something to me. Though, we never follow each other’s advice.... I feel that relationships are about all of this,” Bachchan said.
Dubbing Rajinikanth the “god of South Indian cinema,” filmmaker Karan Johar, who hosted the event, presented the Icon of Golden Jubilee award to the actor, celebrating his 44-year-long career. “I want to dedicate this to my directors, producers, technicians and my fans,” said Rajinikanth, as the crowd cheered.
The ceremony also featured two performances by singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan and jazz artiste Louis Banks. The opening film of IFFI this year was Goran Paskaljevic’s 'Despite the Fog' (Nonostante la Nebbia). In an interaction with the media earlier, Paskaljevic said that he made the film in response to the “xenophobia and growing fascism in Italy.”
