After Shah Rukh Khan inaugurated the 42nd Indian International Film Festival, actress Madhuri Dixit carried forward the Bollywood presence here by opening the Indian Panorama section and the short films center this morning.

Dressed in a lime green knee-length dress and heels, Madhuri wore her trademark smile throughout as the media and delegates jostled to grab and eyeful of the Dhak Dhak girl.

"I am very honoured to be here. I thank the Indian and Goa govt for inviting me. Goa is a wonderful place and it is a great idea to hold IFFI here. People come here to exchange ideas and put the same life into different perspectives. It's filmmakers like you who broaden our horizon as actors, make us learn and help us grow. It helps me give something new when I perform the next time," she said.

The 43-year-old actor, who recently relocated to India with her family after a 10-year-long stay in the US, added, "Goa is such a sunny place. I have always cherished my visit here. This is my third visit to the place with my family and I can say 'Dekha hai teesri baar, Goa ke aankhon mein pyar' -although it sounds very filmy!"

The actor opened the Indian Panorama section here, which kicked off with the screening of non-feature Hindi film 'Adwait Sangeet' by Makarand Brahme and Santhosh Sivan's Malayalam feature film Urumi. Madhuri also felicitated the jury members who had selected the films in the Panorama section from among entries from all over the country. Actor Jackie Shroff was also present, alongwith IFFI director Shankar Mohan.