Celebs at the 24th Pune Festival

The 24th Pune Festival began on a grand note. The event showcased the various colours of the city. From star-studded performances by celebrities to various eminent dignitaries from across the country gracing the occasion, the ceremony took everyone on a joyous ride through the history of Punya Nagari.
Suresh Kalmadi, city member of parliament and chairperson of the Pune Festival along with wife Meera, played the perfect host for the evening.Lighting up the stage with her performance, actress Hema Malini and her troupe performed the Ganesh Vandana and received an overwhelming response.
Actress Neha Dhupia looked lovely in a red Indian suit. Also present on the occasion were Olympic medallists — boxer Sushil Kumar and shooters Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar. All three spoke about how they trained in Pune as a beaming Kalmadi looked on. Gagan expressed that the city played a major role in helping him bag the medal. He said, “Training sessions in Pune were very helpful in bagging the prestigious medal.”
Among the brilliant performances on stage, the act that moved the audience emotionally was when the original voice of veteran freedom fighter and the man behind the Ganpati festival, Lokmanya Tilak was played.
We spotted Shekhar Suman, Randhir Kapoor, Umesh Zirpe, mountaineer and Satish Alekar, playwright, Gayatri Patwardhan, Tehseen Poonawalla, Jabbar Patel and Krishnakant Kudale.