Just as fans were going over Shah Rukh Khan’s pictures of his pilgrimage at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, came footage of his appearance at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2022 being held at Jeddah. Not just SRK, other Bollywood royalty also dazzled at the event, rubbing shoulders with their Hollywood counterparts. The Red Sea Film Festival began on December 1 and will host celebrities from across the globe over 10 days.
Who’s who of Bollywood and Hollywood in attendance
In attendance from Bollywood were Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Kapur, Pakistan actress Sajal Aly, and more! The Red Sea Film Festival 2022 also saw our import to Hollywood, Freida Pinto, as also Hollywood and Europe’s famous names like Sharon Stone, Elle Macpherson, Rossy De Palma, Carla Bruni, Jemima Khan, Rossy De Palma and Lucy Hale, directors Guy Ritchie and Luca Guadagnino, and music greats like AR Rahman, and Bruno Mars who performed at the opening ceremony.
SRK-Kajol’s DDLJ gig evokes nostalgia
Actress Kajol joined Shah Rukh Khan on stage in performing a little gig from their megahit film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), leaving fans gasping for more and rather nostalgic. One may recall that the Aditya Chopra film cemented SRK-Kajol as one of the most iconic on screen couples of Indian cinema. The two superstars wore all-black outfits for the festival.
Power couple Saif and Kareena dazzled at two events
Bollywood’s much loved power couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan attended two events while in Jeddah – the red carpet of the Red Sea Film Festival and the ‘Women in Cinema’ dinner. True to their royal status in India, ‘Saifeena’ looked absolutely royal in the ensembles they chose for both events.
Kareena adorned a jade blue flowing gown for the red carpet, with her man in an all-white Indian outfit. For the gala dinner, Kareena looked resplendent in a brown sheer saree while Saif was seen in a white tuxedo.
Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor – true fashionistas!
Priyanka Chopra dazzled in a beige gown at the red carpet of the main event. Both Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor chose to wear different shades of yellow for the gala dinner. Sonam was dressed in a gorgeous sunshine yellow off-shoulder dress and sported dangling diamond earrings.
Priyanka Chopra wore a full-length satin yellow gown with a cape, and accessorised it with a beautiful necklace and earrings. She chose the classic look with a little edginess.
Sonam Kapoor was earlier seen in a red ruffled gown and beautiful necklace at the red carpet, designed by her sister and producer Rhea Kapoor.
Akshay Kumar in black
Like SRK-Kajol, superstar Akshay Kumar also chose to go all black. He said about the Red Sea festival, “The debut year (2021) was quite intimate and it’s really heartwarming to see how the festival has grown multifold in a span of a year. I’m happy and grateful to be back again to spread a good word about Indian cinema on the world stage.”.
Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, and Jackie Chan to attend
Bollywood superstars Akshay Kumar and Ranbir Kapoor will also be making an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival, and will likely take part in a masterclass or a talk. ANI reports Ranbir Kapoor as saying, “I am extremely honoured to be invited to attend the Red Sea International Film Festival. I look forward to being around and meeting so many stalwarts of cinema from around the world in Jeddah.”
Chinese superstar Jackie Chan will join directors Spike Lee, Andrew Dominik and Nadine Labaki for conversations on cinema. These are just a few of the influential names from the world of cinema that have been invited to the second edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Shekhar Kapur’s film opens the festival
Celebrated Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s cross-cultural rom-com titled What’s Love Got To Do With It? opened the Red Sea Film Festival.
The film stars Sajal Aly, Shabana Azmi, Emma Thompson, Lily James, Shazad Latif, Oliver Chris, Asim Chaudhry, and Jeff Mirza. Saudi Arabian writer-director Khaled Fahd’s movie Valley Road will be the closing film of the festival.
The Red Sea Film Festival is surely helping Saudi Arabia stake a claim in the world of entertainment, after years of ban on cinema.
