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MARRAKECH: Bollywood’s biggest names were in attendance at the 12th Marrakech International Film Festival, being held at the luxurious Taj Palace Marrakech. The star hotel was the hub of all activity, where the opening gala for the film festival was held.
The red carpet played host to B’town’s biggest celebrities: Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Hrithik Roshan, Arjun Rampal, Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap with wife Kalki Koechlin, Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan, Siddharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, were all seen treading carefully upon the red carpet.
The evening concluded with the screening of late filmmaker Yash Chopra’s last directorial, ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’.
And our very own superstar SRK was his most charming, affable self as he entered the venue. He walked past the security cordon to greet his thousands of fans gathered outside, but the excitement on seeing their favourite Bollywood star was too much to handle for the fans. The superstar was soon surrounded by an excited bunch, who tried to claw at him and grip his jacket, at which point Shah Rukh’s security had to step in and separate the bemused star from his over enthusiastic fans.
Shah Rukh was most magnanimous when he brushed off this occurrence, and said, “It’s the love. You can only enjoy it.”
Seen in a tweed jacket, a black shirt and an orange scarf, with matching shades, Shah Rukh Khan looked ever so regal and poised, as he was greeted by Mr. Raymond Bickson, MD & CEO, Taj Palace.
We at Business Of Cinema have also learned of Italian actress and breathtaking beauty Monica Belluci’s fascination for Bollywood, and Shah Rukh in particular:
Monica Bellucci, who was a special guest at the festival, surprised us with her deep knowledge about Indian cinema. She revealed, “The first Hindi film I saw was ‘Devdas’. I wonder how Indian actors are so popular in every part of the world. The crowd goes crazy wherever they go.” And the actress also raised our hopes by stating she would like to be cast in an Indian film someday.
When quizzed about her links to the country, Monica said, “I’ve never been to India, but I will be there soon.” Well, we certainly hope to see Bellucci in India soon, perhaps in a film with her favourite star, the lovably charming Shah Rukh Khan himself!
