Veteran actor Chiranjeevi was named the Indian Film Personality of the Year at the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The announcement was made by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur at the film festival. However, the actor was not present to receive the award himself.
The 53rd edition of IFFI began in Goa on Sunday. The minister was joined by actors Varun Dhawan, Sara Ali Khan, and several other film personalities. Thakur honoured Chiranjeevi on Twitter. He wrote, “Sh Chiranjeevi Ji has had an illustrious career spanning almost four decades, w/ over 150 films as an actor, dancer & producer. He is immensely popular in Telugu Cinema w/ incredible performances touching hearts! Congratulations @KChiruTweets.”
Other honourees of the night included veteran writer K Vijayendra Prasad and actors Paresh Rawal, Ajay Devgn, Suneil Shetty, and Manoj Bajpayee. All of them were felicitated with special honours at the opening ceremony of the IFFI 2022. While being honoured, Ajay said, “I love making films. Be it acting or producing or directing, I love each and every aspect of films. Thank you all for all the love.”
Ahead of the ceremony, Anurag Thakur shared, "This year lots of premiers are happening here. Several new initiatives are taken. This time, 1,000 entries came for the 75 creative minds. 75 creative minds were chosen from 10 fields. People from remote areas also participated. 75 creative minds is for those who used to feel scared of coming to Mumbai, now their requirements are being bridged, and opportunities are being provided for all to be able to participate in the mainstream film industry. This IFFI platform is not just for Mumbai film industry but for people from across the nation to come together and work together. The season premier of OTT platform show will also be happening.”
This year's edition also features retrospectives on Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Asha Parekh and Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura.
