New Delhi: Seven films on 'Devdas' produced since 1935 in various Indian languages will be screened at the 33rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which will have 65 new films from as many as 40 countries across the world.

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar will be the chief guest at the inaugural of the 10-day festival beginning on October 1. She will be assisted by bollywood stars Rani Mukherjee and Aishwarya Rai in lighting the lamp.

The inaugural film is likely to be Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's 'The Man Without a Past'.

The festival, being held for the first time in October, also includes a retrospective of Italian filmmaker Marcello Mastroianni, who is likely to attend the festival. The country focus will be on South Africa and Vietnam, Deepak Sandhu director, Directorate of Film Festivals said in New Delhi on September 27.

Around 3000 foreign and Indian delegates are likely to be registered for the festival including film personalities, directors, actors, actresses, producers and representatives of film organisations.

The seven films on 'Devdas' to be shown under the tragedy section of Indian retrospective include Sanjay Leela Bhansali's recent blockbuster and P C Barua's 1935 Bengali version. The lead actress of the 1935 film, Jamuna Devi is expected to come for the festival.

The Asian competition section comprising 15 films including two from India would present the latest cinematic trends in Asia.

PTI