KUALA LUMPUR : A heavy dose of Bollywood glamour and performances will enthrall fans at the 2015 edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) from tomorrow as it returns to Malaysia for a second time.
Held every year on a foreign location, the event will also organise FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum to promote trade and tourism between the two countries.
“We are always happy to go back to a place where we already have been to because people understand us more… After 13 years, Kuala Lumpur has really improved a lot. It’s a great destination for our stars and a lot of Bollywood films are being shot here. Bollywood stars’ presence will promote tourism in the country,” Andre Timmins, spokesperson IIFA, told PTI.
This year, the young brigade of Bollywood is registering its presence in full force be it the performances by Sonakshi Sinha, Shraddha Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra or the event’s hosts Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor.
“With Ranveer and Arjun hosting the event, IIFA this year is focusing on younger generation. Even leading nominations for the awards were bagged by either young directors or actors be it’s Alia (Bhatt) for ‘2 States’ or Vikas Bahl for ‘Queen’,” Timmins said.
The biggest attraction this year is the screening of “Dil Dhadakne Do” with the cast members attending the premiere. The final ceremony will see Hrithik Roshan taking over the stage for a performance.
“After Hrithik’s dance in the US last year, we are again looking forward to his performance in Malaysia, where he has a huge fan following. His performance will certainly be great.”
Some of the major names to grace the eco-friendly green carpet are Sridevi, husband Boney Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Bipasha Basu, Huma Qureshi and Dia Mirza.
IIFA Rocks, a singing and dance event, will see Sonakshi
making her live singing debut while leading Indian designers like Masaba Gupta and Rocky S are set to showcase their collection during the IIFA Fashion Extravaganza on the second day.
The final ceremony, where winners are handed out trophies between high-octane performances, will take place at the Putra Stadium.
Romantic comedy “2 States” and Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Haider” are leading the nominations with nine and eight nods respectively. Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan may not be in attendance but they will give a tough fight to three other nominees in the best actor category.
“Queen” Kangana Ranaut, who is riding high on the success of “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”, is vying for the best actress trophy along with “Mary Kom” star Priyanka Chopra and three other heroines.
Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai will be honoured with the lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Indian cinema.
“He is a great filmmaker and his contribution to Indian cinema is immense. We have named the award as Outstanding Contribution to Indian cinema award because we present the honour to the living legends of Indian cinema, who are yet to achieve many more milestones in their career,” Timmins said about the director, who is known for films like “Kalicharan”, “Karz”, “Hero”, “Ram Lakhan” and “Taal”.
The ceremony is choreographed by Shiamak Davar and will be broadcast for the first time on Colors.
Over the last 16 years, IIFA has travelled to countries like UK, US, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Canada and the United States of America.
The event made its debut at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, Britain, in 2000. (PTI)
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