Prior to honouring them with 'Lifetime Achievement' awards at the festival, that got underway last night, the organisers screened clips of popular sequences and dialogues from some of the famous films of the trio in the spacious auditorium that reverberated with a spontaneous applause from the gathering.
As the Shashi Kapoor saga unfolded with scenes from some of the hit movies of the actor--described by the compere as one of the most handsome artistes that graced Hindi cinema--- moments of timeless joy were relived by the assemblage that included Union information minister Anand Sharma, Maharashtra Deputy Chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Randhir Kapoor and eminent actress Taboo.
Shashi Kapoor, sitting on a wheel chair due to health problems, smiled faintly as he saw the aerobic movements being displayed on the screen when he picturised some of the famous songs in 'Jab Jab Phool khile','Pyar Kiye Ja','Waqt', 'Abhinetri'. Randhir Kapoor accepted the award on behalf of his ailing uncle.
Then it was the turn of the 'Dream Girl" to go down the memory lane as she looked at the clipping from her debut movie in the 1970s 'Sapnoka Saudagar' in which the legendary showman Raj Kapoor introduced the dusky beauty from the south who was to take the Hindi cinema by storm in the years to come.
The audience regaled the sequence from blockbuster
'Sholay' in which Hema Malini portrayed one of the most popular character 'Basanti' who held the reins of a horse drawn 'tonga' and amused the passnegers with a non-stop chattering.
Sulochana was visibly moved as the scenes from Marathi and Hindi movies in which she acted for over five decades were showcased bringing out various facets of her acting gamut.
PIFF organiser Suresh Kalmadi and director of the festival dr Jabba Patel said films from 41 countries will be screened during the weeklong festival for which a panel of international jury has been invited.