The finale of the centenary of Indian cinema celebrations held in Chennai on Tuesday evening was one of grand proportions. Top film stars, directors, producers and technicians from the four south Indian film industries turned out in large numbers to add oomph to the event.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Periamet, where the event was held, saw large crowds gathered along the road leading to the venue, with people jostling with each other to catch a glimpse of President Pranab Mukherjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the host of film stars who turned up.
Inside the stadium, the crowd went berserk when film stars Rajinikant and Kamal Haasan were shown on the large screen.
The event saw film stars, who are otherwise locked in tight competition, seated next to each other. For instance, seated next to each other were Rajinikant, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Sarathkumar, Ajit and Karthi.
The row of recipients of the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Contribution to Indian Cinema included CM J Jayalalithaa, Amitabh Bachchan, Aparna Sen, Sridevi, Vyjayanthimala Bali, Mammootty, Mohan Lal, Randhir Kapoor, MS Vishwanathan, K Balachander, K Vishwanath, Ambareesh, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Javed Akhtar and Manoj Tiwari.
The stage was not short of glitter, with President Pranab Mukherjee flanked by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Governor K Rosaiah, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Karnataka’s Minister for Infrastructure Development and Information Santosh S Lad.
President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Contribution to Indian Cinema to 41 members of the film industry from across the country. Not just actors and directors but producers and exhibitors too were among those honoured with the Centenary Medal. While many dignitaries left after the award ceremony and the presidential address by Mukherjee, Jayalalithaa stayed back for the cultural show by the film fraternity. Members of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce were all praise for the support and interest the Chief Minister had taken in making the event a success.
