Inaugural edition of Kashi Film Festival gets off to a colourful start in Varanasi

Varanasi, December 28, 2021

The inaugural edition of the Kashi Film Festival, a joint initiative of the Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Uttar Pradesh government, got off to a colourful start here on Monday evening.

The three-day event will also show glimpses of Hindustani classical music and dance but will also refresh memories of famous philosopher poets, writers, musicians and the Banaras Gharana.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, UP Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Neelkanth Tiwari said that, through the festival, people would learn more about the culture of this great city.

He said such events would showcase to the world the cultural heritage of Varanasi.

BJP MP and actor Ravi Kishan said the film festival, along with the proposed Film City project in Noida, would serve as an effective tool to prevent local talent from venturing outside of Uttar Pradesh in search of opportunities in the creative fields.

He also announced a "Natya Kumbh", a gathering of 1,800 theatre artistes in Gorakhpur early next year, where they will celebrate lesser-known heroes of Indian history under the theme of "Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav" (75 years of independence).

Well-known stand-up comedian Raju Srivastava said that the proposed film city would be a milestone for new and old talents like him. Later, he tickled the ribs of the audience at Sampoornanand Stadium in a live performance while noted singer Kailash Kher mesmerized the crowd with his songs.

Renowned actress and dancer Hema Malini is also slated to perform during the festival.

Anurag Thakur, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, will be the chief guest at the festival today. During this, a panel discussion will be organized on the topic “Varanasi – Journey from a Cultural, Mythological and Historical Heritage to a Modern City”. The topic of discussion of the second panel will be on "Music and Geet - Virasat of Banaras".

A panel discussion will be held on December 29 on the topic “Uttar Pradesh as an important centre for film production and the potential of regional cinema”.

The festival will close with performances by singer Ravi Tripathi and actor Ravi Kishan.

NNN