One more feather on Amitabh Bachchan’s cap. Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan and veteran playback singer Asha Bhosle will be honoured for their outstanding contribution to the Indian cinema at the 10th Pune International Film festival (PIFF). PIFF director Jabbar Patel said, “This year, we will present the festival on a bigger scale. This year, we have changed the title of the lifetime achievement award and we are going felicitate veterans like
Amitabh Bachchan and Asha Bhosle with ‘Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema’ award. Such legendary personalities getting honoured at the festival will take the festival to a higher level. We are also felicitating noted actor Sachin Pilgaonkarfor completing 50
years in cinema.’’
The coveted Sachin Dev Burman International award for creative music and sound will be conferred on prominent music director Ilayaraja.
The festival has been organised by Pune Film Foundation in association with the state government. More than 240 films will be showcased at six different venues across 10 theatres in the city which includes City Pride Kothrud, R-Deccan, City Pride Abhiruchi (Sinhagad Road), E Square, Inox and National Film Archive of India (NFAI).
However, Amitabh Bachchanfinds most embarrassed as, the megastar thinks he hasn’t contributed to the medium at all. “The Pune Film Festival wishes to honour me for my contribution to cinema and I find that most embarrassing, for the truth is that I really have not contributed at all,” Big B wrote on his blog. The 69-year-old actor is also set to make a trip to Nasik to inaugurate a school for special children made by his own initiative. Amitabh tweeted, “Another trip is towards Nasik to inaugurate a School for `special` children, one that I have initiated some years ago through a very dedicated friend of mine from the Police force.” The veteran actor has been out in the public for numerous causes and events, but Bachchan says he still finds public
appearances scary. He further wrote on his blog, “Public appearances are scary and time consuming. Welcome and speeches of wisdom and care follow, photographs are taken and then the relief when you can get back home. In the end one wonders whether the trip was worth its while. Did the presence enhance the conditions or not. That is of value, nothing else matters…”
The festival will be inaugurated on January 12 by Sanjay Devtale, minister of cultural affairs, government of Maharashtra at 4.30 pm at City Pride (Kothrud). Noted actor Rani Mukherjee and Gudmundur Eiriksson, Ambassador of Iceland in India, will be the guests of honour.
