Panaji (Goa) [India], November 20 (ANI): The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began on Sunday in Goa.

Several members of the film industry including veteran writer Vijayendra Prasad, veteran actor Paresh Rawal, actors Ajay Devgn, Suneil Shetty and Manoj Bajpayee were felicitated with special honours at the opening ceremony of IFFI 2022.

While being honoured at the film festival, Ajay said, " I love making films. Be it acting or producing or directing, I love each and every aspect of films. Thank you all for all the love."The opening ceremony was hosted by actor Aparshakti Khurana.

When Aparshakti asked Vijayendra Prasad about his inspiration behind his writings, the veteran writer said, "Gandhi ji."After a few seconds, he took out Indian currency note and quipped saying, "I was talking about this Gandhiji."His epic response evoked a loud laugh from the audience members.

The 53rd edition of the nine-day festival was inaugurated by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur.

Ahead of the ceremony, Anurag Thakur shared, "This year lots of premiers are happening here. Several new initiatives are taken. This time, 1,000 entries came for the 75 creative minds. 75 creative minds were chosen from 10 fields. People from remote areas also participated. 75 creative minds is for those who used to feel scared of coming to Mumbai, now their requirements are being bridged, and opportunities are being provided for all to be able to participate in the mainstream film industry. This IFFI platform is not just for Mumbai film industry but for people from across the nation to come together and work together. Season premier of OTT platform show will also be happening."This year's edition features retrospectives on Dadasaheb Phalke awardee Asha Parekh and Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura. (ANI)