Rajinikanth’s emotional speech at IFFI: 50 years in cinema felt like 10-15 years
Rajinikanth was honored for his five decades of tenure in the film industry at the closing ceremony of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. In his speech, the actor reflected on his career and expressed his gratitude towards fans and the industry at large.
Rajinikanth was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award on completing 50 years in the film industry at the closing ceremony of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. In his speech at the ceremony, the superstar described his five-decade career as feeling very short.
The 74-year-old also said that if he had 100 more lives, he would like to be born as an actor and Rajinikanth.
A widely shared clip of his address shows him saying, “50 years of acting in cinema feels like 10 or 15 years… if only there were 100 more birth (Life) is there, I would like to be born as an actor and Rajinikanth. All this honor mainly goes to the people of the cinema industry. Ennai Vaazhevikum Dheivangalana Tamil Makkal (Tamil people, gods who keep me alive) (sic).”
Rajinikanth was given a standing ovation at the ceremony and he greeted the audience with folded hands.
The event, which concluded today (November 28), attracted filmmakers and artistes from across the world and highlighted important milestones in Indian and international cinema.
Rajinikanth, who reached Goa on the last day of the festival, was welcomed by the hotel staff and fans. Social media videos showed him entering the venue playing drums and greeting supporters with folded hands. He was later joined by his family who also attended the ceremony to celebrate his achievement.
The festival celebrated the centenaries of notable filmmakers and artistes including Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla, Ritwik Ghatak, P Bhanumathi, Bhupen Hazarika and Salil Choudhary by screening restored classics of their works.
During the festival, 25 feature films, 20 non-feature films and five debut feature films were screened in the Indian Panorama section. The programming reflected the emerging story of Indian cinema and highlighted voices from across the country.