Kolkata, Oct. 27 -- The 32nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which begins on December 16, is expected to see South Indian superstars Rajinikanth and Prabhas of 'Baahubali' fame at its inauguration in Kolkata. Mithun Chakraborty, chief advisor, KIFF, shared the development after an executive committee meeting at Nandan on Tuesday. It is to be noted that Mithun has worked with Rajnikanth in 'Jailer 2' and Prabhas in 'Fauzi' recently.

The Padma Bhushan awardee said actor Anupam Kher might also attend the opening ceremony, while he is in talks with Paresh Rawal and Kangana Ranaut. Mithun, who also serves as an advisor to the Bengal government with the rank of a Cabinet minister for Information and Culture, said he is trying to reach out to Hollywood celebrities as well, but "they are quoting hefty sums".

This will be the first edition of KIFF organised by the BJP government, which is making efforts to give the festival a high-profile opening.

The meeting was also attended by BJP ministers Purnima Chakraborty and Agnimitra Paul, along with party MLAs Rudranil Ghosh, Papiya Adhikari, Sarbari Mukherjee and Hiran Chatterjee. Also present were Dr Saumitra Mohan, Secretary, Information and Cultural Affairs Department; KIFF chairman Prosenjit Chatterjee; director Sandip Ray; and actor Jeet. Preparations for the festival were discussed at the meeting.

Mithun said the committee also discussed Film Bazaar, with a focus on promoting Bengali cinema. "We also discussed the schedule and plan to decorate Kolkata's landmarks for the film fest," he said.

The veteran actor further indicated that the opening ceremony might be held at Victoria Memorial. During the Mamata Banerjee regime, the inauguration was held at Netaji Indoor Stadium and later at the Dhono Dhanyo auditorium. With a change in government, the venue may change too.

"The red carpet will be held at Victoria Memorial, and giant LED screens will be erected to showcase Bengali stars," Mithun said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.