The 17th Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM 2026) has kicked off on August 13, 2026. On Day 1, the festival hosted the grand opening night and the starry red carpet awards night at the Palais Theatre at St Kilda in Melbourne, with Rani Mukerji, Rishab Shetty, Dulquer Salmaan, Rekha, Kirti Kulhari, Vijay Varma and Rasika Dugal among others taking home the evening’s top honours.

Spotted in the city: It's time to sit back and flip through pictures of celebrities who made an appearance in the city throughout the day.