Madrid: Madrid is renowned for its football champions and art galleries, but there’s a twist this weekend as Bollywood stars take over the city and give the locals a taste of the colourful world of Hindi cinema.
The 17th edition of International Indian Film Academy Awards, the three-day Bollywood extravaganza that sets out to honour the best in Hindi cinema, is being played out.
So don’t be surprised if you see the Indian heartthrob Hrithik Roshan grocery shopping at the local store with his two sons or actress Sonakshi Sinha sampling street food.
Priyanka Chopra, who has just finished the filming of her first Hollywood film Baywatch, said such awards are a great way to acquaint the world with the industry she works in.
“IIFA is a great cultural exchange … I have realised in the one year that I have spent abroad that people don’t understand what Bollywood is. People think it’s an offshoot of Hollywood or it’s a spoof. It’s annoying. But at the moment, I am educating them,” said Chopra, who has been conquering the West with her hit show Quantico. She adds that she’s immensely proud of the dance and songs in Hindi cinema, claiming that it’s not easy to do what they do.
For Roshan, it’s the prospect of meeting his fans in Europe that gets him excited.
“The bond with IIFAs has just grown. Their initiative of introducing Bollywood to the world is commendable. This connects me to my fans all over the world. I have admiration for the intention behind this platform,” said Roshan to reporters on Thursday. He is also busy rehearsing for his on-stage performance during the awards night on Saturday at the IFEMA (Institucion Ferial de Madrid) Hall in the city.
“It is the longest and the toughest performance of my life … I had to put ice packs on my knees on most evenings,” said Roshan.
Sinha is also keen to showcase her dance moves.
“My dance act is a tribute to my all time idol Sridevi. She is one of my biggest idols and I know I have some big shoes to fill, but I can’t wait,” said Sinha.
It’s also a platform for rising actors to make their mark. Jackie Shroff’s son Tiger is looking forward to rocking the stage with his dance spectacle.
“My performance will be a tribute to the late pop icon Michael Jackson and I will also dance to my idol Hrithik Roshan’s songs from Bang Bang. It’s my first performance at the IIFAs and I hope everybody is as excited as I am,” said Shroff.
Organiser Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft International dubs this weekend as one of the busiest in Madrid.
“During the same weekend as IIFAs, IFEMA [the awards night venue] will also host the general elections and other cultural programmes. But it’s so kind of Madrid to welcome us … We can’t wait to introduce the magic of Indian cinema here,” said Joseph.
In other news, Salman Khan who also arrived to the Spanish capital on Thursday afternoon was spotted looking unrepentant after his offensive rape analogy remarks. But, more on that later.
