'Kennedy' brings down the curtain on IFFM 2023

Anurag Kashyap's Mumbai-set police noir Kennedy closed the 14th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), an event which was also attended by the film's lead stars Rahul Bhatt and Sunny Leone.

The annual film gala kicked off on August 11, with R Balki's sports drama Ghoomer, starring Saiyami Kher and Abhishek Bachchan, serving as the opening film.

Leone said she was "grateful" to the festival for hosting Kennedy. The movie features Bhat as the titular insomniac ex-cop, who finds himself entangled in a corrupt system while seeking redemption, according to the official plotline.

Kennedy received its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. It was showcased under the Midnight Screenings section of the prestigious film gala.

The IFFM 2023 hosted some of the biggest names from Indian cinema, including Karan Johar, Rani Mukerji, Mrunal Thakur, Kartik Aaryan, Prithvi Konanur, and the team of Sita Raman, the release stated.

Telugu period romance Sita Ramam, Vikramaditya Motwane's series Jubilee and Kanu Behl's independent feature Agra won the top honours at the IFFM Awards ceremony.

According to the organisers, the IFFM promised to take the audiences on an "captivating cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and showcases the magic of Indian storytelling".

This year the festival screened over 100 films in across 22 languages and introduced many unique stories and talent to the Australian audiences.