Organisers of the Arab Indo Bollywood Awards (Aiba) in Dubai can now heave a sigh of relief: the inaugural event’s star attraction, actor Salman Khan, has been given permission to leave India.
Khan was earlier this year announced as a performer at the May 29 event, to be held at Meydan. But uncertainty surrounded his attendance after a Mumbai court found him guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to five years in jail. The sentence was later suspended, but Khan must seek the court’s permission every time he wants to leave the country.
On Tuesday morning, Indian media reported the actor had been granted his wish.
“We can now relax and look forward to an amazing event this week,” said Habeeb Rahiman, the managing director of Benchmark Media. Rahiman’s company, along with Al Bustan Events, is organising the awards night for the first time.
He said there were millions of rupees riding on Khan’s presence at the event. The actor last performed in the city in 2009.
Khan posted a video last week assuring fans about his attendance.
“I’m going to be in Meydan Dubai on the 29th of May for the Arab Indo Bollywood Awards. See you there,” he said in an eight-second video, which was filmed in Kashmir, where he recently spent a month filming his latest action film, Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Other Bollywood stars expected to attend include Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Shraddha Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Varun Dawan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Prabhudeva, Pareeniti Chopra and Neha Dhupia among others.
Besides performances, Aiba will also see some of the best of Bollywood being honoured for their work. Organisers said they want Aiba to become an annual event.
Tickets start at Dh200 and are available on platinumlist.net.
