Founded in 1995, the Kolkata International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Kolkata. It is the third oldest film festival in India, organised by the West Bengal Film Centre under the government of West Bengal.
This year marks the 28th edition of the prestigious film festival, which kicked off in Kolkata on December 15 and will conclude on December 8, 2022. Throughout this 8-day period, various national and international films and documentaries will be screened at the event.
A total of 183 films, including 52 short films and documentaries from 42 countries across the globe, will be screened in 10 different venues across the city in the span of eight days.
Kolkata International Film Festival 2022 Inauguration Photos
The inaugural ceremony, which took place at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose indoor stadium in Kolkata, was graced by many big celebs from Bollywood and Bengali film industry, including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Satrugan Sinha, among others.
King SRK and Big B were the guests of honour for the event. Bollywood’s ace singers Kumar Sanu, Arijit Singh, “Bengal Tiger” Sourav Ganguly, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were among other attendees of the event.
CM Mamata Banerjee’s official Twitter account shared a glimpse of the inaugural ceremony.
I inaugurated the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival today with luminaries like Hon'ble Governor CV Bose, @SrBachchan, Jaya ji, @iamsrk, @ShatruganSinha, @SGanguly99, Rani Mukherjee, among others.#KIFF as a platform will take our cultural exchange to even greater heights! pic.twitter.com/zxWqfalpgC
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 15, 2022
WATCH: Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan at the opening ceremony of Kolkata Film Festival pic.twitter.com/e5AtchngC9
— NDTV (@ndtv) December 15, 2022
Kolkata International Film Festival 2022 Important Highlights
Here are the five important highlights of the grand inauguration ceremony of the Kolkata International Film Festival 2022:
1- Big B Speaks in Fluent Bengali
Big B Amitabh Bachchan, who is also called as “Kolkata’s Jamai”, as his wife Jaya Bachchan is a Bengali, expressed his gratitude towards the city of joy for his first job. Throughout his speech, Big B spoke in fluent Bengali.
2- Mamata Banerjee Demands Bharat Ratana for Amitabh Bachchan
During her address to the attendees at the event, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, demanded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor, for Amitabh Bachchan for his contribution to the film industry over the decades.
ममता बनर्जी ने की Amitabh Bachchan को भारत रत्न देने की मांग
'अमिताभ बच्चन भारत रत्न हैं,हम चाहते हैं कि उन्हें इस सम्मान से नवाजा जाए': CM @MamataOfficial #AmitabhBachchan #BharatRatna pic.twitter.com/4t2QHG4f2R
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) December 15, 2022
3- Shatrughan Sinha Called SRK a National Star
Veteran actor and TMC leader Shatrughan Sinha called for Shah Rukh Khan to be declared the national star during his speech at the prestigious festival.
#ShahRukhKhan kehne ki zarurat nahi hai, National Star Keh Dijiye aur woh Shah Rukh Khan hoga: @ShatruganSinha 🔥🙌🏻
SRK THE PRIDE OF INDIA! 🇮🇳❤️#ShahRukhKhan #SRK #KIFF #KIFF2022 #Pathaan #BesharamRang #ShatruganSinha pic.twitter.com/6weEn2H3oE
— Shah Rukh Khan Universe Fan Club (@SRKUniverse) December 15, 2022
4- SRK Jokingly Blames Rani for Imperfect Bengali
Shah Rukh Khan addressed the guests in Bengali, and as the Bengali portion of his speech was written by Rani Mukerjee, he jokingly said that if he speaks anything wrong, Rani should be blamed for it.
Bad Bengali never sounded more charming @iamsrk #KIFF
— Sohini M. (@Mittermaniac) December 15, 2022
#ShahRukhKhan jokingly blames #RaniMukerji for imperfect Bengali; #AmitabhBachchan hugs Mardaani actor: Highlights from KIFF 2022 in photos https://t.co/DTdtXyuBRe pic.twitter.com/FAqryf9ta4
— Indian Express Entertainment 😷 (@ieEntertainment) December 15, 2022
5- Sourav Ganguly Wishes SRK a Great Comeback
Former Indian cricketer and team captain Sourav Ganguly, also called as “dada” (brother), addressed the inaugural ceremony of KIFF. During his speech, he talked about SRK’s upcoming films and wish him a great comeback on screen.
. @SGanguly99 talks about King Khan’s attachment to Kolkata and mentions about his next releases that we will be able to see some special moments in the next few months! 🔥❤️#ShahRukhKhan #SRK #KIFF #KIFF2022 #SouravGanguly #Pathaan pic.twitter.com/jdXN4QyMmn
— Shah Rukh Khan Universe Fan Club (@SRKUniverse) December 15, 2022
