Wednesday, November 23 2005 15:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Panaji: The 36th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will get off to a glittering start tomorrow (Nov 24, 2005) with former Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting S Jaipal Reddy inaugurating the event and the evergreen hero,producer-director Dev Anand being the Chief Guest.

South India's star Chiranjeevi will grace the occasion as the Guest of Honor while Bipasha Basu and Tara would be the 'thali girls'.

The inaugural function of the 10-day festival will be held at an open courtyard near INOX multiplex on D B Bandodkar road situated on the bank of Mandovi river.

The festival would open with the Brazilian film 'Olga'.

Indian Navy personnel will also display aerobics as part of the inaugural function.

"The 'Sagar Pawan', Indian Naval Formation Aerobatic team based at INS Hansa, will perform a ballet of formation aerobatics," stated Commander N V Kesari, public relations officer for flag officer in-command, Goa region.

Kesari said, "The display will commence with a dramatic arrival loop and three aeroplanes flying in from nowhere and heading straight for the audience".

Two hundred films will be screened in various sections during the festival.

The competitive section, showcasing 14 films from 13 countries, will for the first time include films from Latin American and African countries.

Indian entries in this section will be 'Iqbal' directed by Nagesh Kuknoor and 'Perumazhakkalam' a Malayalam film directed by Kamal.