Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha to attend Indian cinema centenary celebrations in Chennai

Bollywood luminaries Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha are among several cinematic stars who will take part in the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema here.

Earlier this year as Indian cinema entered it 100th year several programmes, felicitations and special screenings of some of the most notable feature films produced in the country were hosted both by the government and the Indian film industry.

In tune with these celebrations, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) has organised a three-day event with the 'curtains-raiser' slated on September 25.

Soon after his arrival at Chennai airport, Bachchan said he was indebted to the SIFCC for planning this memorable event.

"I have just come for the honour that south Indian film industry is doing for 100 years of Indian cinema; and I very grateful for that," said Bachchan.

Veteran Bollywood actress, Rekha too arrived in Chennai for the occasion.

Indian cinema, with its subset of Bollywood for Hindi-language films, is now a billion-dollar industry that makes more than a thousand films a year in several languages.

It is worth over two billion dollars and leads the world in terms of films produced and tickets sold.

Besides Bollywood, which has global appeal, India also has a vibrant regional-language film industry, especially in southern states where film stars are often worshipped in temples specially built for them.