Even as entertainment industry stars and superstars, apart from media barons like Subhash Chandra, start pouring into the temple town of Ayodhya from Saturday for Ram Mandir’s consecration ceremony, the Monday event promises to be a star-studded affair with PM Narendra Modi leading the galaxy of celebs and A-listers from various walks of life to be present.

Actors Kangana Ranaut, Shefali Shah, Pawan Kalyan and Randeep Hooda were among the Indian cinema personalities who arrived in Ayodhya early, ahead of the grand Ram temple opening, a PTI report from New Delhi stated on Sunday.

Veteran star Rajinikanth and music composer Shankar Mahadevan, who are also part of the event’s guest list, were spotted at the Lucknow airport on Sunday as they left for the temple town.

While about 8,000 people are in the long list of invitees for Monday’s ceremony, the select list features 506 A-listers, including prominent politicians, leading industrialists, top film stars, sportspersons, diplomats, judges and high priests.

Ranaut on Sunday said it’s her “good fortune” to be invited for the ceremony. She met her spiritual guru Rambhadracharya, participated in a yagya and paid a visit to the Hanuman Garhi temple for a clean-up drive here.

The 36-year-old actor, who reached Ayodhya on Saturday, said devotees are waiting for Lord Ram’s arrival.

Actor Shefali Shah, who arrived in Ayodhya with her producer-husband Vipul Shah on Sunday, said they are honoured to be here.

“It (consecration ceremony) is one of the biggest cultural moments that our country and we as Indians can experience. I am just feeling so proud being an Indian. Our culture is so rich but we are pretty unaware of it,” she told reporters at the Ayodhya airport.

Pawan Kalyan, actor and Jana Sena Party founder, said “a long-cherished prayer” is finally becoming a reality. “We are very happy about it. Finally, the nation could see the ‘pran pratishtha’. I am very glad that I am a part of this,” Kalyan told reporters in Ayodhya.

Talking to the media at the Lucknow airport, Mahadevan said the whole world had been waiting for the Ram temple inauguration.

“We are so happy and excited, and we feel blessed that we (have been) invited as state guests… to be part of the biggest event that happened in the history of India,” said Mahadevan, who was accompanied by his wife Sangeeta.

Actor Randeep Hooda, who reached the Lucknow airport on Sunday evening with his actor-wife Lin Laishram, said they are excited for the event and waiting to seek Lord Ram’s blessings.

“It’s an event long in coming. It’s not just religious, it’s also a cultural and heritage event. In Haryana, we greet each other with ‘Ram Ram’ and so, our Ram Lalla has called us… The entire country is talking about this event. I feel very proud and happy,” Hooda told reporters.

Aadinath Mangeshkar, who visited Ayodhya in 2022, said he is looking forward to the ‘pran prathishtha’ or the consecration ceremony.

“It’s a golden opportunity to be here in the holiest of cities (Ayodhya) for the Lord Ram mandir ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony. I am deeply honoured and excited about it.

Composer Anu Malik said participating in the ceremony was an “emotional moment” for him. Actor Anupam Kher and filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar were also photographed at the Mumbai airport before flying out to Ayodhya.

Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Amjad Ali Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, and Anuradha Paudwal, as well as ‘Ramayan’ stars Arun Govil and Dipika Chikhlia are also among the personalities from the Indian entertainment industry who have been invited for the event.

The PTI report, which quoted from an invitee list it accessed, stated that Bachchan will fly into Ayodhya in a private chartered plane on Monday for the opening of the 161-feet-tall pink sandstone shrine.

The list features Tamil superstar Rajinikanth as well as Telugu mega stars Prabhas, Allu Arjun and Junior NTR. The south film industry will also be represented by Chiranjeevi and Mohanlal.

Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn are on the list, which also features Madhuri Dixit and her husband Shriram Nene. BJP MPs Hema Malini and Sunny Deol too feature in the list of invitees.

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his wife as well as singers Shreya Ghoshal, Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, Anup Jalota, Sonu Nigam and Anuradha Paudwal have been invited.

The invitees include regional artists such as Jahnu Barua, Kaushiki Chakraborty, Manju Borah, and Malcha Goswami. Poet Manoj Muntashir and his wife, and lyricist and writer Prasoon Joshi along with his wife too find mention.

However, it is not clear how many of them will actually attend the ceremony.