IFFD 2026: Veteran star Sharmila Tagore honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award, calls ‘Puratawn’ one of her finest films

Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore has been awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of International Film Festival of Delhi 2026, highlighting the years of experience she was contributed in the entertainment field. She described her recent Bengali film ‘Puratawn’ as among her finest works.

“It feels great, it feels absolutely great, because it gives an opportunity for people in Delhi to see different kinds of films, different language films. Like one of my Bengali films, Puratawn, 2025 film will be screening on the 29th, which we did, that was my last film a few years ago, not even a few, I mean, it’s a recent film. And I’m very happy I’ve done it, it’s very age appropriate, and it’s, I think, one of my best, if not the best,” Tagore told the media.

Reflecting on her experience with the film, Tagore said: “Because, you know, there’s so much freedom that comes with age, and, you know, you don’t have to really look pretty, and, you know, your face is not so much. So you can act so much better with freedom. So, I’m very happy about the film.”

Expressing gratitude for the recognition and the screening of her work, she added: “I’m very happy, of course, I’m very happy and appreciate and grateful that they’re doing this for me, and, yes. I want to tell you that Delhi is the capital of India, so, you know, people are very interested, so I’m sure they will enjoy it.”

The festival opened on the evening of March 25 at Bharat Mandapam, with a red carpet attended by prominent figures including Arjun Kapoor, Nimrat Kaur, Vicky Kaushal, Sanya Malhotra, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Lauren Gottlieb, Kangana Ranaut, Vivek Oberoi, Nandamuri Balakrishna, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Arvind Swamy.

The ceremony included a tribute marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, setting a cultural tone for the event. The inaugural lamp was lit by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta along with ministers Kapil Mishra and Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, and actors Hema Malini, Kangana Ranaut, and Sharmila Tagore.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Tagore, the late legendary actor Dharmendra, and Balakrishna in recognition of their contributions to Indian cinema.