By Ms. Kiwi Kiran
Auckland 12 October 2026
AUCKLAND – Bollywood actor Meenakshi Seshadri joined an Auckland audience for a screening of Damini on 8 October, as a new cinema programme opened alongside this year’s Diwali celebrations. The event at Event Cinemas St Lukes combined a red-carpet appearance, a conversation about her career and a return to the film on the big screen.
Published reports from Awaaz and Indian Weekender describe how Seshadri, who had initially intended to attend the red-carpet proceedings, stayed through the screening. She told the audience it was her first cinema viewing of Damini in more than two decades. The 1993 film remains one of the best-known roles of her career.
Forum Films director Pritesh Raniga presented the actor with the Legend of Indian Cinema Award during the evening. The recognition accompanied the opening of the Indian Cinema Showcase, organised by Forum Films with Event Cinemas and supported by Screen Auckland and Auckland Council Events.
The showcase introduces a dedicated Indian and South Asian film programme to the wider BNZ Auckland Diwali Festival. Screenings are planned across Auckland cinemas during October and early November, extending the cultural calendar beyond the main outdoor festival on 31 October and 1 November.
According to the published programme, the selection includes films in Hindi, Punjabi and Nepali. Raniga has described the initiative as a way to reflect the place cinema holds in the cultural lives of South Asian communities, including its connections with language and identity.
The opening therefore brought together two parts of the city’s Diwali season: a visit by a familiar screen performer and a new programme for local cinema audiences. Film-specific session times and availability are provided by Event Cinemas, while the main festival continues at Aotea Square and Queen Street.
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