The 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India was inaugurated in Goa on Tuesday. Union I&B Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore was the chief guest.

Among others, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Randhir Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Lulian Landais, Madhur Bhandarkar, Arijit Singh, Ramesh Sippy and others graced the occasion, which also saw vibrant performances by stars like Sonu Sood, Shilpa Rao and others.

It is going to be a 9-day event. "IFFI 2018 will showcase 212 films from over 68 countries which consist of 2 World Premieres, 16 Academy Award-nominated films, 6 Indian rare language films, 3 Indian films competing with 15 international films for the Golden and Silver Peacock awards, and many more interesting elements," an official note says.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Rathore said, "India is a land of storytellers where every person has a story to tell. These stories inspire and entertain us. IFFI is a platform for our young generation to showcase their talent. It is a platform for international filmmakers to see India and explore the talent that we have. It is a great collaboration for both sides."

When it was his turn, Karan Johar said, “There is a lot to do in Indian cinema now. There are several platforms now available which is a good thing. We have a digital revolution happening in the country. There is a lot of content in the digital space, now all we have to do is empower our writers. Akshay Kumar is one of our megastars and has consistently pushed meaningful cinema along with commercial cinema. There is substance as well as an inspiring message in his films. Other stars should also do such socially entertaining films.”