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Dubai dazzles like never before
It's here - the mother of all parties, the seventh Annual IIFA Weekend and Awards organised by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA).
- By Jyoti Kalsi, Gulf News Report
- Published: 23:33 May 3, 2009
It's here - the mother of all parties, the seventh Annual IIFA Weekend and Awards organised by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) and presented by Tiara Residence.
Several star-studded events such as a fashion extravaganza, a film festival and a glittering awards night are set to make Dubai dazzle like never before from today until Saturday.
While Bollywood fans in the city are excited about the chance to see all their favourite celebrity performers together, the stars too are looking forward to a fun filled weekend in this happening city.
Here's what they had to say about Dubai and the IIFA Weekend and Awards.
Dino Morea
The IIFA experience is always good because we get a chance to get together with friends and colleagues from the industry and party together.
Dubai rocks and is a fantastic destination for the IIFA Weekend. It's going to be phenomenal and we are going to create huge waves there. Considering that there is a huge Indian population there it is going to be out of this world.
Rani Mukherjee
The IIFA Weekend is special to me because the organisers are all my friends. They do a great job. They find fantastic venues, create a wonderful atmosphere and look after all the guests very well.
I enjoy the award functions because audiences abroad rarely get a chance to attend such functions and their excitement creates a great vibe.
I am very happy to be nominated for Black because it is a very special film and an important milestone in my career. The role of a deaf, mute and blind girl was very challenging. I learnt a lot from my interaction with such people. I saw that despite the difficulties they have to face in life they are so positive and filled with optimism.
I learnt from them that nothing is impossible in life if you have the devotion to work hard for it. I was keen that my character should portray their fighting spirit and the humour with which they live their lives. So Black is not a dark film ? it is a positive film about achievement and love and it was the happiest moment of my life when audiences appreciated the effort of our entire team.
I am also happy to be nominated for Bunty Aur Babli because it is an entertaining film. In a strange sense it was difficult because we shot on location and we had to do our scenes in the midst of crowds at railway stations and on the roads.
My role was fun and I enjoyed working with director Shaad Ali, who is a good friend and has a great sense of humour. I have never played a character like this before; I laughed all the time during the shooting and that shows on screen. It was particularly good for me because the shoot began right after the intense six-month schedule of Black.
Lara Dutta
It is fantastic that the IIFA Weekend is happening in Dubai.
It's a city most actors like to visit because it is so close by and has a great vibe and feel to it.
With many Indians living there it feels very much like home.
The infrastructure is fantastic, as we have seen at other award functions held here, so I give two thumbs up to IIFA at Dubai.
I definitely plan to do a lot of shopping and am looking forward to checking out the new ski slope the city has acquired.
Boman Irani
The IIFA Weekend is like a picnic. The great thing is that it is held abroad telling audiences around the world that we respect and value them for supporting Indian cinema.
It is our way of saying thank you for the global acceptance we enjoy.
The film fraternity is a close-knit family and it is always wonderful for all of us to be together and have a good time.
It is great to be nominated for an IIFA award, especially for Waqt, because we had a wonderful time during the shooting.
The cast was genuinely like a family with Amitabh Bachchan as the head. Being comedians, all the nominees in this category have a sense of humour and we will accept whoever wins the award with open arms.
Shweta Prasad
The IIFA Weekend is a great concept because it gives our films global exposure, audiences in different countries get to see their favourite stars and the stars get to meet their fans around the world.
Iqbal is my second film and just being nominated is a big thing for me; if I win that will be the icing on the cake.
I am proud to be a part of a film like Iqbal. The character of Iqbal's sister was difficult to portray but gave me the chance to do new things such as learning sign language.
It is a blessing because now I can communicate with deaf, mute people and understand them better. I was lucky to get a chance to work with stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad and Nagesh Kukunooor on a brilliant role in a superb film about cricket, which I love.
Diya Mirza
Dubai is a big market for Indian films because so many Indians live there and UAE nationals are also interested in our films.
Every time I go there the media seems to be excited about Indian films also. So this is a rare and good opportunity for people there to meet Indian actors.
We all like to go to Dubai because it is a progressive and fun place with great shopping. IIFA is a combination of many things and one of them is FUN. It is a great opportunity for the industry to come together and have fun.
Vikram Phadnis
I have been the official stylist for IIFA for the last three years and to me it is like a family function or a wedding in the family.
It is close to my heart because the people involved in it are genuine and the purpose behind it is genuine.
It gets the industry together. I am looking forward to the fashion show. It is exciting to share the ramp with Manish Malhotra whom I admire and I am happy that the money raised from the event will go back to the industry to those who need it most.
We have enjoyed preparing for it and I am sure there will be a positive energy at the show.
Urmila Matondkar
I have always thought of the IIFA Weekend as party time for the industry folks where they come together and have a blast.
Wizcraft makes sure that we are well taken care of and go to a fantastic venue every time. And I think that the most rocking party place now is Dubai.
Each of us is looking forward to going there for the great food, lovely shopping and the clean, beautiful environment. It's always great to be in Dubai.
Karan Johar
My father was an active member on the advisory board of IIFA and a part of the Foundation. He felt passionately about it and I have taken over from him. Both me and my mother feel emotional about IIFA because it is a part of my father's history.
Riteish Deshmukh
It is great to be nominated for an IIFA award because IIFA is really big and provides fantastic exposure to an actor and a film. It is wonderful to be nominated for Bluffmaster because it is a contemporary film with a young look. It's a film I totally believed in and was glad to be a part of.
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