Filmmaker Karan Johar, whose directorial Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is the running for awards at the 18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (Iifa) Awards, will host the gala night in New York in July, it was announced in Mumbai on Thursday.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil has a chance to win in eight categories, followed by M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story which has been nominated across seven categories.
The Iifa Weekend and Awards, to be held July 13-15, will be a celebration of Indian film, music, fashion and dance.
To reveal some of the details about the upcoming gala, Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt addressed a press conference in Mumbai, and later got together for a live video Conference with five Cities globally: New York, London, Dubai, Chicago and Houston.
At the Iifa Rocks 2017 show, Oscar-winning talent A.R. Rahman’s 25-year career will be celebrated. It will also feature a medley of musicians including Rahman, Diljit Dosanjh, Benny Dayal, Javed Ali, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi and Haricharan Seshadri.
Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul will host Iifa Rocks, to be held a day before the main awards event.
The awards night, to be telecast live on Colors, has a star-studded line-up of performers. Apart from Khan, Kaif and Bhatt, audiences can look forward to Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon among others on the stage at the MetLife Stadium.
Organisers Wizcraft International Entertainment have already started creating a buzz for the event in New York. A Bollywood flashmob had last week taken over a section of the Times Square. They have even announced a nationwide contest in the US, along with Bollyshake.com — allowing interested candidates to submit their entries on the online platform and getting a chance to dance on the stage as part of one of the acts.
This is the second time that the Iifa extravaganza is taking place in the US. It was earlier held in Tampa Bay in 2014.
At the press event, Khan said the film industry is tough. “My fans keep me going. The older you get the harder it is to keep going as you need to compete with your juniors and it is difficult. Today competing with juniors is very difficult.”
He added: “I will be part of everything that happens with Iifa this year. I will be performing on stage on radio [a song from his movie Tubelight] and maybe giving away an award but not receiving one,” the 51-year-old actor said.
Khan has been nominated for the Best Actor award for his performance as a wrestler in Sultan at Iifa this year. He will be competing with Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput in the category.
To a question about who will win the trophy, Khan said, “Definitely not me. I believe in the rewards I get from Iifa and fans, but awards are not my thing.”
Khan acknowledged the Indian diaspora in keeping Indian cinema alive abroad for decades.
“You have kept India and Indian cinema alive abroad because you all have kept us alive till today as you all have not left your roots. Respect to you all.”
His co-star from forthcoming film, Tiger Zinda Hai, Kaif was also present at the interaction.
At the event, Bhatt was asked about working with Khan.
The actress said, “I don’t know [when we’ll work together] but I really hope soon. And I think you should ask him.”
Considering their age difference, Khan said jokingly “We are trying to remake ‘Papa The Great’.”
Kaif, who dated the 51-year-old actor, joked, “Please leave Alia for Varun [Dhawan]and Salman for me.”
Since the ex-couple will be performing together, they were asked if it’s difficult to work together. Kaif said: “No. With Salman, it is always entertainment and that is the most wonderful thing. It’s entertainment around and for you. So, it’s like a continuous TV show. He has a lot of love to give so you feel happy and good.”
Defending his on-set antics, Khan said, “The humour is always above the belt and not below the belt It’s clean.”
A special tribute is being planned at the International Indian Film Awards (Iifa) event in July for actress Reema Lagoo, who died last month. Khan, who played her on-screen son in several films, will lead the tribute.
Lagoo passed away on May 18.
Khan had worked with Lagoo in films such as Saajan, Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, Hum Saath-Saath Hain and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.
Khan reminisced: “Reemaji had played my mother in some films, starting with Maine Pyar Kiya. Off-screen, she was like a friend with me. She was a lovely human being. It feels like I’ve lost my on-screen mother.”.
Followed by his comment, Iifa officials confirmed: “We will dedicate certain moments in the performance for Reema Lagooji.”
Lagoo became famous for portraying the “middle-aged, modern, but understanding mother” on both the silver and the small screens to some of the biggest stars in the industry.
She was noted for her roles in films such as Kal Ho Na Ho, Vastaav, Rangeela and Kya Kehna.
On television, she was seen in prominent roles in Khandaan, Shrimaan Shrimati, Tu Tu, Main Main, Do Aur Do Paanch, and the latest ongoing serial on StarPlus, Mahesh Bhatt’s Naamkaran.
In Marathi, she worked on Ghar Tighanche Have, Chal Aatap Lavkar, Jhale Mokle Aakash, To Ek Kshann, Purush Buland and Vitho Rakhumai.
