Deepika Padukone steps down as MAMI Mumbai Film Festival chairperson

Mumbai: Actor Deepika Padukone on Monday announced she has resigned as the chairperson of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival owing to her work commitments.

Padukone had replaced filmmaker Kiran Rao to become the chairperson of the festival in 2019.

The actor took to Instagram and wrote she decided to step down from the position as she won't be able to give the festival "undivided focus."

"Being on the board of MAMI and serving as Chairperson has been a deeply enriching experience. As an artist it was invigorating to bring together cinema and talent from all over the world to Mumbai, my second home.

"I have come to realise, however, that with my current state of work, I will be unable to give MAMI the undivided focus and attention it requires," Padukone said in the note.

The 35-year-old actor added that she was departing from MAMI knowing that the festival would be in "the best hands possible".

Padukone has a packed film slate, starting with filmmaker Shakun Batra's upcoming relationship-drama and Siddharth Anand's "Pathan", headlined by Shah Rukh Khan.

She would also collaborate with "Baahubali" star Prabhas for a multilingual sci-fi film and team up with Hrithik Roshan for the patriotic-action-drama "Fighter".

Last year, the organisers of Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival postponed its 22nd edition due to the coronavirus pandemic.