Shah Rukh Khan felicitated at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan was on Thursday honoured with the Excellence in Cinema award at the 10th edition of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). 

Shah Rukh, who is attending the festival as its chief guest, was recognised for his  contribution to cinema and popular culture in India. In his acceptance speech, the 53-year-old actor said in his close to 40 years of career, he has always cherished the process of filmmaking than the actual end product which at times ended up being "outrageous and different".

The film extravaganza kicked off with a gala celebration, during which the winners for IFFM Awards 2019 were unveiled. Sriram Raghavan's "Andhadun" dominated the night with two wins -- Best Actress for Tabu and Best Director. Tabu, who is attending the festival with Raghavan, said she will always remember this win. 

The Best Actor trophy went to Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi for his film "Super Deluxe", while filmmaker Zoya Akhtar's "Gully boy" was adjudged the Best Film. 

Rima Das' "Bulbul Can Sing" was announced as the winner of Best Indie Film. The film, which had its world premiere at 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, will also open the festival on Friday. Priya Ramasubban's Ladakhi family drama "Chuskit" shared the Best Equality in Cinema Award with "Super Deluxe". National Award-winning director Onir won the Special Diversity award at this year's ceremony. 

The festival also commemorated the 21st anniversary of Karan Johar's debut film "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", which featured Shah Rukh, Kajol and Rani Mukerji in the lead.  Khan stunned the jam packed hall by stepping into his dancing shoes along with a group of Down syndrome kids who were performing on the track "Apna time ayega" from "Gully Boy". Organised by the Victorian government, the IFFM is celebrating its 10thanniversary with 'Courage' as the central theme.

The ceremony was held at the iconic Palais Theatre in Melbourne, which is one of the city's heritage landmarks. Over the next nine days, the festival will feature 60 films in 21 languages.