The Victorian Government today hosted a lunch at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground for renowned Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan. The popular Indian actor was in the city to inaugurate the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), 2014, the southern hemisphere’s greatest annual celebration of Indian cinema.

Victoria’s Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher welcomed Mr Bachchan to Melbourne.

“I am delighted to host this lunch for Mr. Bachchan who is undoubtedly one of the great Indian actors of our time. We are excited to honour Indian cinema at IFFM which enhances Melbourne’s cultural arts calendar celebrating our international connections and rich multi-cultural heritage.”

IFFM kicked off on 1 May with the Australian premiere of the newly-restored Sholay 3D, followed by a Q&A with Mr. Bachchan. Since its release in 1975, the spaghetti western-style action adventure film has established itself as a beloved classic of Indian cinema and is critically regarded as one of the best Indian films of all time.

IFFM offers a window into the future of filmmaking with the Western Union short film competition which is open to filmmakers from India and Australia. The annual competition supports and encourages the careers of young filmmakers and fosters industry ties between the two countries. The 2014 winners were announced at the IFFM Awards night along with the screening of the winning films.

Mr. Bachchan was honoured as the IFFM International Screen Icon for 2014 and also personally presented the first ‘Shri Amitabh Bachchan’ scholarship award by the La Trobe University that was instituted in his honour.

The sporting Mecca, Melbourne, will be the focus for millions of cricket fans around the world in February and March 2015 when the city hosts the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at the renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand with the first matches played in Christchurch and Melbourne on 14 February 2015, and the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29 March 2015.

Melbourne is already a popular destination for Indian tourists, migrants, students and investors and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to experience our superb restaurants, cafe culture, theatre, diverse arts events and in particular to the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015,” said Ms Asher.