Bollywood stars shine in Melbourne ahead of Indian film festival of Melbourne 2024 awards

Indian actress Malaika Arora gestures as she walks on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on August 16, 2024. Melbourne is buzzing with Bollywood glamour as the 15th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) unfolds. Among the celebrities gracing the festival are A R Rahman, Malaika Arora, Karan Johar, Ram Charan, Kartik Aaryan, Nora Fatehi and Parvathy.

The festival kicked off on August 15 and will conclude on August 25. The much-anticipated awards ceremony is held on Friday, August 16, at the iconic Palais Theatre. Above, Indian actor Kartik Aaryan walks on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.

Ahead of the ceremony, Bollywood's finest were spotted enjoying downtime in the vibrant streets of Melbourne. Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi speaks to media on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.

Music Director AR Rahman speaks to the media on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on August 16, 2024. Rahman bagged the Best Music Director (Background music) award for his work in Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan: I' at the 70th National Film Awards of India for the year 2022.

Indian actor Ram Charan and his wife Upasana Kamineni (L) walk the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on August 16, 2024. The IFFM 2024 awards promise to be a star-studded affair. Shah Rukh Khan leads Best Actor nominations for his roles in Dunki and Jawan. He’s up against a formidable lineup. This includes Vikrant Massey, Fahadh Faasil, Ranveer Singh, Kartik Aaryan and veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty.

Indian film director and producer Karan Johar gestures as he walks on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.

Indian director Kabir Khan walks on the red carpet at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on August 16, 2024.

Bollywood actor Arjun Mathur gestures as he walks on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on August 16, 2024.

Indian actress Parvathy Thiruvothu speaks to the media on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. On the Best Actress front, Alia Bhatt is nominated for her performance in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She competes against Jyothika, Parvathy Thiruvothu and rising stars Nitanshi Goel and Pratibha Ranta from Laapataa Ladies.

Indian director Rajkumar Hirani poses for photo on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne

Indian actress Arushi Sharma poses for photo on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne.

Indo-Australian singer Janaki Easwar poses for photo on the red carpet during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards Night at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on August 16, 2024.