Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 27 (ANI): The first edition of the three-day Kashi Indian International Film Festival commenced in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi on Monday.

State Tourism and Culture Affairs minister Neelkanth Tiwari inaugurated the festival at a grand event, in presence of Bollywood celebrities like actor Anupam Kher, filmmaker Rahul Mittra, President of Indian Film and Television Directors Association Ashoke Pandit, directors Satish Kaushik and Madhur Bhandarkar, MP and actor Ravi Kishan, comedian Raju Srivastava, Vinod Bachchan, among others.

Also Read | Shehnaaz Gill's Dance on 'Zingat' at Her Manager's Engagement Leaves Netizens Happy (Watch Video).

While Anupam and Ashoke will participate in a panel discussion on Varanasi's rich cultural heritage, Rahul, an award-winning filmmaker, will speak on the importance of Uttar Pradesh as a centre for film production, and the potential for regional cinema on the second day of the event. This would be followed by performances of singer Kailash Kher and Hema Malini among others.

The Kashi Film Festival is taking place ahead of the beginning of the construction work on the ambitious film City at Sector-21 of the Yamuna Expressway Development Authority (YEIDA) area of Gautam Budh Nagar district in January 2022. (ANI)

Also Read | Dharmendra Deol Reveals He Was Worried After He Heard Salman Khan Was Bitten by a Snake.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)