The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne has officially begun, and the festival was kickstarted with an opening press conference that took place on Friday morning. Mitu Bhowmick Lange, director of the festival introduced all the actors present at the press conference. Present at the event were Rani Mukerji, Freida Pinto, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Rajkumar Hirani, Vicky Kaushal, writer Abhijaat Joshi and Mrunal Thakur.

Rani Mukerji spoke about being the guest of honour and what coming to the festival means to her. "I’m really happy to be here representing my country, my film and my fraternity. A big thank you to the Victorian government for supporting the Indian film fraternity. The Indian film fraternity is so diverse with so many languages and cultures, so it’s great to see films from various cultures under one roof. I thank Mitu for inviting me and this trip is special because I’m coming here with my daughter. It’s the first time she’s seeing Melbourne," stated the actress.

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Freida Pinto, who has not only done magnificent work internationally but is also known for her humanitarian efforts, spoke about the premiere of her next Love Sonia. She added, "Love Sonia gives you a glimpse into the world of oval sex trafficking but it still doesn’t show the entire world of it. Also, we didn’t want to make a gratuitous film. At the end of the day, we want people to understand the sense of what really happens in this part of the world and how much of it is kept away from us. So, as an artist, when you get an opportunity to be part of such a film that can raise a global conversation, it’s fun to adapt to the character. We are raising a very important topic which will leave the audiences with something to ponder on."

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne will go on from the August 10 to August 22 in Melbourne, Australia. The festival will screen over 60 films from all across India and the subcontinent in over 22 languages.