{"id":4356,"date":"2026-02-25T00:14:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T18:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/?p=4356"},"modified":"2026-03-06T11:23:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T05:53:39","slug":"riff-2026-a-grand-confluence-of-cinema-culture-and-rajasthans-heritage-spectacular-award-night-at-mehrangarh-fort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/?p=4356","title":{"rendered":"RIFF 2026: A Grand Confluence of Cinema, Culture and Rajasthan\u2019s Heritage Spectacular Award Night at Mehrangarh Fort"},"content":{"rendered":"

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9 Special Honours Conferred; 87 Talents Recognised Across Cinematic Disciplines<\/h3>\n

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The 12th edition of the Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF 2026) concluded with a majestic Award Night at the iconic\u00a0Mehrangarh Fort, transforming the historic citadel into a vibrant celebration of cinema, culture, and artistic excellence.<\/p>\n

Set against the architectural grandeur of Mehrangarh and enriched by colorful cultural performances, the mega event witnessed the presence of distinguished actors, directors, writers, technicians, and prominent personalities from Indian and international cinema.<\/p>\n

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The closing ceremony was graced by the Maharaja Gaj Singh ji and\u00a0 Maharani Sahiba Hemlata Rajye ji.<\/p>\n

\"\"During the ceremony, nine eminent personalities from Indian and international cinema were honoured with Special Awards for their outstanding contributions. Additionally, 87 artists and technicians were recognised across categories including acting, direction, writing, and technical excellence.<\/p>\n

Somendra Harsh, Founder and Festival Director of RIFF, stated that the award ceremony beautifully brought together cinema, culture, and Rajasthan\u2019s heritage on one platform. Over five days, more than 78 films, including feature films, short films and documentaries in over 8+ languages were screened across various categories.<\/p>\n

Festival Director Anshu Harsh extended gratitude to all participants and supporters for making the festival a resounding success.<\/p>\n

Addressing the gathering,\u00a0Maharaja Gaj Singh ji\u00a0emphasized that cinema is a powerful medium that connects cultures and showcases society\u2019s finest creativity. He strongly advocated for the production of films, documentaries, and television content in the Rajasthani language, describing it as a rich linguistic treasure that strengthens cultural identity while entertaining audiences.<\/p>\n

He noted that RIFF has brought cultural awareness, knowledge, and global engagement to Jodhpur, benefiting the city significantly.<\/p>\n

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Actor and renowned poet\u00a0Shailesh Lodha\u00a0reflected on Marwar\u2019s deep-rooted love for art, music, and literature. \u201cEven if one leaves Marwar, Marwar never leaves the person,\u201d he remarked He encouraged the youth to learn global languages while preserving Marwari heritage. In memory of his father, Shyam Singh Lodha, he announced two annual awards for feature films made in Rajasthan carrying prize amounts of \u20b91 lakh and \u20b950,000 respectively.<\/p>\n

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Actor\u00a0Rajit Kapur\u00a0described the honour as an unexpected and deeply moving surprise. Having attended the festival to watch and present his short films, he had not anticipated receiving an award. He reiterated that continuous learning remains his responsibility as an actor, and theatre continues to be central to his artistic journey. Kapoor also shared his personal exploration of Jodhpur\u2019s old city and Osian, expressing a growing emotional connection with the region.<\/p>\n

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Actor\u00a0Makarand Deshpande\u00a0remarked that what matters most is not merely receiving an award, but the place where it is bestowed. Being honoured at Mehrangarh, a living symbol of history and culture, he said, is a matter of immense pride and inspiration.<\/p>\n

Special Awards at RIFF 2026<\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. Rajit Kapur<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Legendary Award of Excellence<\/em>\u00a0for his long-standing and outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.<\/li>\n
  2. Dina Rosenmeier<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Honorary Award of Excellence<\/em>\u00a0for notable contribution to international cinema.<\/li>\n
  3. Shailesh Lodha<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Pride of Rajasthan Award<\/em>\u00a0for promoting Rajasthan\u2019s art and culture nationally.<\/li>\n
  4. Mukesh Chhabra<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Honorary Award of Excellence<\/em>\u00a0for his significant role in casting and nurturing talent in Indian cinema.<\/li>\n
  5. Jayati Bhatia<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Honorary Award of Excellence<\/em>\u00a0for contribution to Indian cinema and television.<\/li>\n
  6. Anup Soni<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Award of Excellence for contribution to Indian Cinema<\/em>\u00a0for his impactful performances in cinema and television.<\/li>\n
  7. Seema Kapoor<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Best Author in the Field of Cinema Award<\/em>\u00a0for excellence in writing.<\/li>\n
  8. Shahzad Ali<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Youth Icon of Rajasthan Award<\/em>\u00a0as an emerging inspirational talent.<\/li>\n
  9. Stage OTT<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Theme Award<\/em>\u00a0under RIFF 2026\u2019s theme \u201cCinemasthan \u2013 Your Lens, Our Rajasthan,\u201d for promoting Rajasthan\u2019s culture and stories on digital platforms.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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    The grand finale of RIFF 2026 reaffirmed that the festival is not merely about screenings and awards, it is a dynamic confluence of heritage, storytelling, and global cinematic dialogue.<\/p>\n

    With Mehrangarh Fort standing tall as a silent witness to this celebration, RIFF once again positioned Rajasthan as a vibrant cultural hub where tradition meets contemporary cinematic expression.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    9 Special Honours Conferred; 87 Talents Recognised Across Cinematic Disciplines The 12th edition of the Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF 2026) concluded with a majestic Award Night at the iconic\u00a0Mehrangarh Fort, transforming the historic citadel into a vibrant celebration of cinema, culture, and artistic excellence. Set against the architectural grandeur of Mehrangarh and enriched by …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,31,47,40,41],"tags":[1727,903,1786,1676,1785,1784],"class_list":["post-4356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-entertainment","category-lifestyle","category-national","category-world","tag-12th-rajasthan-international-film-festival-riff-2026","tag-jodhpur","tag-mehrangarh-fort","tag-riff-2026","tag-riff-2026-award-night","tag-riff-jodhpur"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/DSC09121.JPG-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4356"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4409,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4356\/revisions\/4409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/voiceofjaipur.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}