NEW YORK, NY - Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Aladin’, the much critiqued contemporary take on the classic fairy tale by director Sujoy Ghosh, kicked off the sixth annual South Asian International Film Festival here.

“I am extremely excited to add to the tremendous momentum SAIFF has gained over the past 5 years. We are looking forward to shining the spotlight on the best of the best in South Asian cinema again in 2009,” said Shilen Amin, President of SAIFF, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting South Asian filmmakers in the US.

The increasingly popular festival attempts to showcase films that depict the rich texture and diversity of the South Asian history, culture, trends and talents.

The wide-range of cinematic works include ‘Manjadikuru’, a Malayalam film about a large disjointed family in India’s southern state of Kerala to ‘Made in Pakistan’ that depicts the lives of four Pakistani individuals who swim against the current of prevailing stereotype of Pakistanis in the western media.

“The unique spectrum of films we are seeing this year from a variety of genres will provide our audiences with some of the most inspired and culturally innovative pieces of work to-date,” said Amin.

This year the main attraction at the festival was the red carpet premier of a romantic comedy called ‘Fatso’ directed by Rajat Kapoor who has made critically acclaimed movies like ‘Mithya’ and ‘Mixed Doubles’.