IFFI 2017: The stars descend on Goa to wrap up festival

The nine-day International Film Festival of India 2017 concluded with a bang with a colourful, star-studded awards and closing ceremony in Goa's capital Panjim. The theme of the festival, ‘Connecting the world through stories’, was expanded upon by the presenters as they spoke of the power of cinema to bring people together. 

The Golden Peacock, Silver Peacock, Lifetime Achievement award and Indian Film Personality of the Year award were among the several awards conferred during the ceremony.

Anchored by Karan Johar, Sonali Bendre Behl and Zaira Wasim, the ceremony's biggest draw was the presence of Salman Khan as people thronged to catch a glimpse of the superstar. Hindi filmdom was out in force as Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Bhumi Pednekar, Sushant Singh Rajput, Sidharth Malhotra and Huma Qureshi graced the occasion.

The ceremony included a performance by singer-composer Papon, who enthralled the audience with his soulful voice and music. There were also two dance performances by Malhotra, who danced to his hit songs, followed by a tribute to former superstar Amitabh Bachchan, where Malhotra even tried to get the veteran to join him in shaking a leg!

Besides the usual film awards, the two special awards were the Lifetime Achievement award, which was awarded to Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, and the Indian Film Personality of the Year award, which was presented to Bachchan.

While presenting the award to Bachchan, Akshay Kumar related a touching incident which displayed the senior actor's generosity and kindness. Union minister for textiles and information & broadcasting Smriti Zubin Irani and Akshay Kumar jointly presented the award to Bachchan who expressed deep gratitude.