Sivakarthikeyan’s Amaran to open Indian Panorama section at 56th International Film Festival of India

Tamil star Sivakarthikeyan’s war drama Amaran, directed by Rajkumar Periyasamy, has been selected as the opening feature film for this year’s Indian Panorama section at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The festival, one of the country’s most prestigious cinematic showcases, will be held from November 20 to 28 in Goa.

Amaran to open IFFI's Indian Panorama Section

Amaran leads a diverse and ambitious lineup of 25 feature films, 20 non-feature films, and five streaming series, representing a wide range of Indian languages, genres, and regional traditions.

This year’s feature film jury, chaired by veteran actor, filmmaker, and producer Raja Bundela, chose the films from over 516 submissions received from across the country.

The Indian Panorama feature film selection celebrates the vibrancy of Indian cinema through languages including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Manipuri, Oriya, Tulu, and Rajasthani.

Among the notable titles are Vivek Agnihotri’s The Bengal Files (Hindi), Anupam Kher’s Tanvi The Great (Hindi), Praveen Morchhale’s White Snow (Urdu), Paresh Mokashi’s Mukkam Post Bombilwadi (Marathi), and Vishal Patnaik’s Maliput Melodies (Oriya).

Other major inclusions are Thamar KV’s Sarkeet (Malayalam), Badiger Devendra’s Vanya (Kannada), Sasanka Samir’s Bhaimon Da (Assamese), and Soukarya Ghosal’s Pokkhirajer Dim (Bengali). In the mainstream cinema section, films such as Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava (Hindi), Tharun Moorthy’s Thudarum (Malayalam), and Anil Ravipudi’s Sankranthiki Vastunnam (Telugu) will feature prominently.

The jury also announced five contenders for the Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film Award, including Tribeny Rai’s Shape Of Momo (Nepali), Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan (Bengali), and Jithin Laal’s A.R.M. (Malayalam).

For non-feature films, a separate jury led by cinematographer-filmmaker Dharam Gulati shortlisted 20 titles from over 550 entries. Kamlesh K. Mishra’s Hindi-language documentary Kakori will open the non-feature category. The lineup includes Ummathat – The Rhythm Of Kodava (Kodava), Aanirai (Tamil), Chambal (Hindi), and Nilgiris – A Shared Wilderness (English).

In addition, IFFI introduced nominations for the Best Web Series Award, highlighting the rise of streaming content. Prime Video dominates with three nods — Bandish Bandits Season 2, Paatal Lok Season 2, and Suzhal – The Vortex Season 2 — while Netflix’s Black Warrant and MX Player’s Mitti – Ek Nayi Pehchaan complete the category.

As the Indian Panorama opens with Amaran, Sivakarthikeyan’s much-anticipated film is expected to set the tone for a festival celebrating the diversity, creativity, and global reach of contemporary Indian cinema.