All
keyed
up
for
being
present
at
the
opening
of
the
20th
Kolkata
International
film
festival,
Bollywood
superstar
Shahrukh
Khan
Monday
urged
Australian
filmmaker
Paul
Cox
and
other
international
dignitaries
to
relish
the
experiences
that
Kolkata
has
to
offer,
including
the
variety
of
sweets.
Addressing
a
star-studded
audience
at
the
Netaji
Indoor
Stadium
here,
SRK
spoke
in
a
decent
smattering
of
Bengali,
in
keeping
with
his
promise
last
year.
"I
had
promised
last
year
that
I
would
speak
in
Bengali
this
time...
ami
Bangla
e
kotha
bole
khub
anondito
(I
am
very
happy
to
speak
in
Bengali).
Jodi
kono
bhool
hoye
thaake
amake
khome
korben
(forgive
me
if
I
make
any
mistakes)," he
said
to
thunderous
applause
and
series
of
spirited
whistling
at
the
inauguration.
SRK,
the
brand
ambassador
of
Bengal
and
one
of
West
Bengal
Chief
Minister
Mamata
Banerjee's
key
go-to-guy
for
inaugurating
mega-scale
events,
regaled
the
audiences
in
his
usual
suave
and
sleek
style.
This
was
his
fourth
opening
ceremony
of
the
KIFF
which
was
graced
by
Australian
filmmaker
Cox
and
a
host
of
foreign
delegates.
Acknowledging
Kolkata's
joie-de-vivre
as
the
"greatest
celebration
of
life",
he
egged
on
Cox
and
others
to
try
out
the
sweets
like
rosogolla,
and
chomchom
before
they
leave
the
city.
"I
request
Paul
Cox
and
the
others...
don't
leave
Kolkata
without
trying
the
rosogolla,
chomchom
etc.," he
said,
leaving
the
spectators
delirious.
He
reiterated
the
same
in
Bengali
as
a
seemingly
awestruck
Cox
looked
on.
Shahrukh
also
stressed
the
importance
of
cinema
in
bringing
people
together
in
a
fast-changing
world.
"Social
networking,
for
example,
allows
you
to
interact
with
others
without
really
interacting
with
others.
This
is
why
cinema
matters,
because
it
brings
people
together
in
a
single
experience
of
life
to
which
they
relate
collectively," he
said.
And
dedicating
the
KIFF
to
the
"honest
efforts
of
all
involved",
the
actor
said,
"there
ought
to
be
a
feeling
of
celebration
and
happiness,
a
sharing
of
India,
of
life
and
its
experiences" at
the
film
fest.