Actress Sonam Kapoor and actor Sir Ian McKellen inaugurated the Kashish Film Festival in Mumbai late on Wednesday.
“I’m here for Kashish, and I’m here because I strongly believe in what this film festival stands for, that it’s a basic human rights; it’s not about being lesbian, gay, female, male, transsexual, anything, it’s about being able to be who you want to be and somebody who is just themselves. I’m a strong supporter of basic human rights,” Kapoor said.
McKellen is known for his work in films such as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. He was present along with superstar Aamir Khan to discuss William Shakespeare at the MAMI Film Festival a few days ago.
“I just want to say how happy I am to be at Kashish; it’s my first visit to Mumbai. I made many friends already and I hope this evening to make many more. I’ve come to Mumbai to celebrate Shakespeare and to celebrate the connections between the United Kingdom and your country. And I’ve also come to support those who want to get rid of section 377 [which criminalises homosexuality],” McKellen said.
Kashish Film Festival is the South Asia’s biggest LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) film festival and this is the seventh edition of the festival.
