The spectacular Opening Night of the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival 2022 was held in the picturesque premises of Mumbai’s Liberty Cinema. Out and proud members of the community shimmered and dazzled in the colors of their choice at the Red Carpet in all finery!
The stunning hosts for the evening were actor Paras Tomar & TV talk show host Renil Abraham who struck a chord with the audience! The esteemed ladies’ duo of the Advisory Board consisting of Dolly Thakore & Arunaraje Patil were our ‘chaar chaands’ of the evening.
“It is such a joy to be back in the theater with KASHISH 2022, and share this evening with a full house of almost 1000 people! And we are truly happy to be kickstarting the June Pride Month on June 1st and the festival will continue in its hybrid edition till June 12th. We are celebrating cinema in all its diversity, with a number of films from countries where LGBTQ+ communities are still marginalized. And we are super delighted to bring 30 Indian LGBTQ+ films in the next four days!”, said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.
Full of entertainment and sterling performances, the stage was set on fire by dancer & choreographer Sandip Soparrkar & actress Bhavna Pani and an exceptional laugh riot with Navin Noronha’s hilarious stand-up comedy act!
The Opening Night of KASHISH’s 13th edition also saw dignitaries in attendance who continue to partner with the festival, year after year. Expressing their joy this year, we had Mr. Sandeep Kapur from Morgan Stanley say, “We are committed to creating a corporate culture that is inclusive and where employees can bring their full selves to work.”
The absolute highlight of the evening was a heartfelt thanksgiving by members and volunteers of the community. ‘KASHISH Rainbow Voices’ was an award that was instituted this year to recognize and applaud actors, writers, and directors who have given a Voice to the LGBTQ+ Community in Mainstream Media.
The awardees for ‘KASHISH Rainbow Voices were Negha Sabapathy, a transgender actress who plays the lead in KASHISH’s Opening Film Antharam, Rajshri Deshpande for The Fame Game, Director-Producer duo Faraz Ansari & Marijke deSouza along with the gorgeous protagonists Divya Dutta & Swara Bhasker of Sheer Qorma which premieres this Saturday at KASHISH!
Expressing immense happiness, Divya Dutta said, “This festival which truly embraces and celebrates the LGBTQ+ diversity, has been a very special event in Mumbai, bringing together the LGBTQ+ community and their allies every year to celebrate the best queer cinema. This year in its physical avatar once again, it will be a great joy to celebrate our film Sheer Qorma with the audiences."
Kick-starting International Pride Month with a bang, and a night to remember, the enchanting Opening Night came to a close with a remarkable performance by Color Positive, followed by the Opening Film for the night – Antharam!
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