Ranveer Singh-starrer 83 to be celebrated at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is set to take place as a physical edition, after two years, and this time around, 100 films and 23 languages have been selected.

Many Indian film artistes will be flying down to Australia to celebrate Indian cinema. In the past, the festival has hosted artistes like Shah Rukh Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Tabu, Vijay Sethupathi, Zoya Akhtar, Rima Das and Karan Johar among others.

This year, one of the films to be celebrated at the festival is Kabir Khan’s 83 (2021) and Kapil Dev has been invited to be the guest of honour.

Speaking of being part of this year's edition, the former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev said, “I look forward to being part of IFFM 2022. It’s a great platform celebrating the best in Indian cinema. I truly do believe that sports and cinema are two major cultural experiences for not only Indians but various communities and countries that bind us together. It’s something for decades now that has united people. It’s a deep rooted emotional connection and love we have for both cinema and sports, and when they come together it’s a rewarding experience for everyone."

The festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange is only delighted to have the festival back this year and host Dev. She said, “We are absolutely delighted to have IFFM come back physically this year alongside an exciting virtual programming. To have with us a legendary cricketer, Mr Kapil Dev in honour of a film based on his iconic 83 World Cup Win, we are excited to have him in Melbourne. Being a city of cinema and cricket lovers alike, we are certain the audiences will be excited to see him here. The festival this year has over 100 films from across the India sub-continent and we are excited to celebrate Indian cinema in all its glory and diversity.”

The festival will be held from 12 - 20 August.