Bollywood descends on Yas Island as IIFA 2022 is all set to be unveiled
Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Jun, 2022 12:17 PM
Abu Dhabi, June 1 (IANS) With the stars slated to perform at the 2022 International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA), which is being held at the Yas Island here on June 2-4, starting to arrive, the countdown to the 22nd edition of Bollywood's most prestigious awards event has well and truly started.
On Wednesday, choreographer and director Farah Khan and Aparshakti Khurana, co-hosts of the IIFA Rocks concert, arrived here along with the performers, Neha Kakkar, Dhvani Bhanushali, Zahra Khan, Asees Kaur and Tanishk Bagchi.
At Yas Island, meanwhile, a vibrantly colourful, larger-than-life mural featuring the leisure and entertainment destination's brand ambassador, Ranveer Singh, has been unveiled. The destination had launched the now-viral 'Yas Hai Khaas' campaign in India with Ranveer Singh earlier this year, receiving, according to a media release, "exceptional engagement across social media", with over 70 million views, as well as achieving 80 per cent of the 2019 website traffic in the first 10 days of the video launch.
In another development, IIFA is all set to roll out the red carpet for the Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Abhishek will perform at the IIFA Awards on June 4. The others scheduled to groove on stage include Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Pandey, Sara Ali Khan, Divya Khosla Kumar and Nora Fatehi.
"IIFA is like family to me and it feels good to come back and perform," Abhishek said. "After being disconnected physically for more than two years, celebrations help us unite," he added.
Just back from the Cannes red carpet, Aishwarya also expressed her excitement, saying: "It has always been splendid to be a part of the IIFA Awards for years. Undoubtedly, it is the global event that both the Indian film industry and its well-wishers look forward to every year."
Aishwarya had also joined the IIFA celebrations in 2006, when the event was held in the UAE for the first time.
The IIFA Awards will be held on June 4 with Salman Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Maniesh Paul as the hosts.
The awards are being presented at the Vigyan Bhawan in the capital. Manoj Bajpayee was awarded the best actor award for his performance in Bhonsle. This his 3rd National Award.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, who led the cruise drug bust relating to superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan but now faces bribe allegations, reached Delhi on Monday evening but denied that he had been summoned by any agency.
NCB official sources have hinted that there is apparently no evidence of any "drug-related exchanges" in her alleged WhatsApp chats with Aryan Khan - the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan - who has been arrested in the drugs case and currently in judicial custody till October 30.
The pony-tailed senior Khan sporting dark shades and a black facemask over a grey half-sleeved T-shirt was virtually mobbed by the paparazzi and the hordes of policemen as he entered the menacing barred gates of the ARCJ in the congested south Mumbai.
Along with Aryan Khan - the son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the other seven accused - arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on October 3 after the October 2 raid on a rave party aboard a cruise ship - were also sent to judicial custody till October 30 by the court.
Talking of 'Sooryavanshi', the film is now set for a massive theatrical release after its run-ins with delays and uncertainties. The film which also stars Akshay Kumar, Jackie Shroff and Jaaved Jaaferi with Ajav Devgn and Ranveer Singh in extended cameo appearances, will hit the screens on November 5 and will quell the audience's hunger for a true blue Bollywood potboiler, this Diwali.
