The 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will pay a special tribute to legendary actor Dharmendra during its closing ceremony later this week.
Bollywood icon Dharmendra passed away on November 24, 2025, in his Mumbai home at the age of 89.
The film festival is underway in Goa’s Panaji. The festival, which kicked off on November 20, will draw to an end with a closing ceremony on November 28.
According to festival officials, in light of the recent passing of legendary Bollywood actor Dharmendra, IFFI has planned a special tribute for the deceased actor during the closing ceremony to pay homage to the actor’s legacy.
A much-anticipated 4K restored screening of ‘Sholay’, which was originally scheduled for November 26, has been cancelled due to technical reasons.
However, IFFI will go ahead with a special session titled ‘50 years of Sholay: Why ‘Sholay’ Still Resonates?’ on November 27, where the film’s director, Ramesh Sippy, will be present as well. With Dharmendra’s passing, the session is expected to be a nostalgic reminiscence of the film and its favourite character, Veeru.
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The film festival has also displayed the iconic bike from Sholay, which was used in the song, Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge, in Panjim’s INOX theatre.
