Madrid: The stars of the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, have descended upon the sunny Spanish capital of Madrid to celebrate Indian cinema during the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards.
The award ceremony, which has travelled to several continents over the years, will mark its 17th edition this year in the European city, with the likes of Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Ranveer Singh, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Kabir Khan, Bipasha Basu, Huma Qureshi, Jackie Shroff, Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chaddha and Indian-origin Hollywood actress Freida Pinto, among others.
The stars have arrived! @BeingSalmanKhan and @ameesha_patel at #IIFA2016 Madrid! #visitspain pic.twitter.com/NOV2iQNDZ9— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) June 23, 2016
The aim is to bring the magic of Indian cinema not only to Spain, but to Latin America as well, says Andre Timmins, director, Wizcraft International, the producers and creator of the IIFA.
“We treat IIFA as India because ultimately, through the platform we are selling India,” Timmins told IANS in an interview.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani, which was the toast of awards season this year, leads the IIFA nominations with eight nods, including best director, best picture, best actress and best actor.
It is closely followed by superstar Salman Khan’s blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan with seven nominations.
Just Arrived! @humasqureshi at Madrid for #IIFA2016 weekend! pic.twitter.com/0KXcWI3Pwi— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) June 23, 2016
The highlight of IIFA Awards ceremony, which has been choreographed by Shiamak Davar, will be six performances by Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Tiger Shroff, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone.
Hey @iTIGERSHROFF's here too in #Madrid at #IIFA2016. pic.twitter.com/JmzPGXoz9v
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) June 23, 2016
Farhan Akhtar and Shahid Kapoor are reuniting for the third time to handle the hosting duties on stage at IIFA main awards ceremony on Saturday night.
Veteran actress Sridevi has been selected for the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema.
Yup @sonakshisinha's all set for the #Bollywood takeover of #Madrid with #IIFA2016. Our @ManjushaRK's right there. pic.twitter.com/tDF7g253c2
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) June 23, 2016
Friday night sees filmmaker Karan Johar and Bollywood’s latest import from Pakistan, Fawad Khan, co-host a musical and fashion extravaganza, IIFA Rocks. Pritam, Kanika Kapoor, Meet Brothers, Benny Dayal, Monali Thakur, Papon, Shilpa Shetty, Sooraj Pancholi, Eli Avram and Daisy Shah are set to perform.
The event has also been timed to integrate with the city’s Mulafest, which stands for Movement of Urban Life and Arts, Madrid’s annual culture festival that brings together music, art and food.
Hola Everyone! The weekend is all set to rock & roll! The excitement builds up for #IIFA2016! @BeingSalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/FnSXMObgnM— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) June 23, 2016
Adding an Indian musical touch to that will be the Raghu Dixit Project, Midival Pundits, Karsh Kale and Nucleya.
“We are collaborating with them, and have become the partner country. We have integrated our programming with Mulafest,” Timmins said, adding that the IIFA celebrations in Madrid will be about collaborations at every step.
Shetty returns to IIFA after a seven-year break to lead a yoga masterclass.
The ceremony is expected to bring 15,000 visitors to the Spanish capital over the weekend.
The always charming @iHrithik is all set to give us some #Spain love all over again at the #IIFA2016 in #Madrid. pic.twitter.com/aVUx1Z0n89
— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) June 23, 2016
