Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
Shahrukh Khan arrived in Abu Dhabi on the eve of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, an extravagant spread representing as many as five Indian film industries on display at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
Announcing what to expect at a news conference, the “King Khan” was missing, but those who made it also used the opportunity to express their excitement of being in Abu Dhabi while also slipping in the opportunity to share some present and futuristic breaking news.
Like when Sabbas Joseph, the co-founder of IIFA, called up actress Kriti Sanon on stage with an announcement indicating she is turning producer. The actress will among some A-list performers on the stage on Sunday along with the likes of Shahid Kapoor, Karan Johar, Vicky Kaushal, Rekha, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Abhishek Banerjee.
IIFA Awards is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral.
Nouf Mohamed Al Bushlaibi, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, DCT Abu Dhabi said: “Returning for an unprecedented third consecutive year, we’re excited that Abu Dhabi, a city where culture and creativity are at the heart of everything we do, is chosen as the platform to celebrate Indian cinema. With some of the world’s biggest names joining us, we invite everyone to immerse themselves in the vibrant and authentic experiences Abu Dhabi has to offer.”
IIFA Awards which has been running since 2000 while promoting the Hindi film industry aka Bollywood until last year, is branching out with Utsavam, a coming together of the fraternities from four South Indian languages – Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Another news shared was the unveiling of the Kuberan Film City, a new production and talent development facility that is being set up in Goa.
There were some other news also like launching initiatives like “I can make a difference” while Wizcraft, who have been managing the show since the start of IIFA, declared that they will taking a sporting event, World Padel League, to Mumbai after the event made its debut in Dubai last year.
In the same bonhomie spirit, two of the sponsors from the real estate industry – Dubai-based Sobha Realty and Maisour, a crowd-funding platform – complimented each other while furthering their agenda on the common stage. “People can buy properties or if they cannot afford it now, but can invest with as low as Dh500, they can come to our platform,” said Praveen Sharma, Meteora Group CEO and Partner in Maisour.
And Telugu superstar Rana Daggubati took it to another level in representing the voice of the film community with a witty remark. “Growing up, I remember watching such Awards with biscuit and cola companies as the sponsors with hampers from them coming our way. Now, we get big homes and get to drive there in a car [brand Nexa is a sponsor] and if we cannot buy a house we have another option!”
Post the conference, the late evening was dedicated to IIFA Utsavam where Daggubati played the host while stars like Prabhudeva, Rockstar DSP, Shane Nigam, Regina Cassandra and others were among the performers.
