Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan will be the chief guest of the big ticket International Film Festival of India (IFFI) starting at Goa from 23 November.

Announcing this Wednesday, Director Film Festival Neelam Kapur said reason for choosing Bollywood star was that he represented the new thought in Indian cinema in many ways.

The inaugural lamp will be lit by Priyamani, the rising star of Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada films. Other film personalities who are expected to attend the fest include actress Meera Jasmine, film directors Shayama Prasad and Lenin Rajendran, actress Ramya Krishnan, and actor Mammooty.

The 'Indian Panorama' this year presents a bouquet of 36 films, 21 feature and 15 non-feature films.

The package is a mixed bag with stalwarts like Budhadeb Dasgupta and Adoor Gopalakrishnan presenting two films each.