Bollywood star Salman Khan welcomes IIFA Awards back to UAE, saying: 'Here for Abu Dhabi'

The host of the gala night joined other performers on stage at the Etihad Arena ahead of the two-day event

Actors Manish Paul, Divya Khosla Kumar, Salman Khan and Nora Fatehi at the launch of the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi. The two-day event will be held at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Siddharth Kanan, Indian TV host laughs on stage with Divya Khosla Kumar and Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Noreen Khan, vice president of IIFA, speaks at the event.

Actor Aparshakti Khurana and director Farah Khan will host IIFA Rocks.

Salman Khan, Nora Fatehi, Sarah Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff on stage.

Abu Dhabi Film Commissioner Hans Fraikin speaking at the event.

Fans at the launch event.

Farah Khan, Aparshakti Khurana, Zahrah S Khan, Anees Kaur and Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Tiger Shroff greenting fans at the event in Etihad Arena.

Salman Khan greets Yo Yo Honey Singh at the event.

Salman Khan and Sara Ali Khan share the stage with Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, chief executive of Miral.

Manish Paul and Riteish Deshmukh hug Salman Khan at the IIFA press conference; all three actors will host the IIFA Awards on June 4.

Dhvani Bhanushali, Farah Khan, Aparshakti Khurana, Zahrah S Khan and Anees Kaur share their plans for IIFA Rocks music and fashion event on June 3.

Salman Khan, Nora Fatehi, Sarah Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff on stage.

Manish Paul, Divya Khosla Kumar, Salman Khan, Nora Fatehi and Sara Ali Khan.

Abu Dhabi is hosting the IIFA Awards for the first time. The Bollywood event is held in a different city every year.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh arriving at the event.

Manish Paul, Divya Khosla Kumar and Salman Khan on stage with a replica of the IIFA Awards statuette.

Actors Shahid Kapoor and Tiger Shroff will perform at the IIFA Awards on June 4.

Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, the chief executive of Miral, welcomed the Bollywood stars in Hindi.

Shahid Kapoor said his performance will include a tribute to late Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri, who died in February.

Left to right; Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday and Ritesh Deshmukh. Panday said the IIFA Awards 2022 will be her first live performance.

Salman Khan said he has a long relationship with Abu Dhabi.

“I’m here for Abu Dhabi,” Bollywood superstar Salman Khan said on Thursday at a curtain raiser to officially introduce the International Indian Film Academy Awards, to be held on Friday and Saturday at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

The UAE capital is playing host to the awards show for the first time, which celebrates the best of Bollywood films and talents from the previous year.

The first event on Friday, IIFA Rocks, will be dedicated to music and fashion, while some of Bollywood's biggest stars are expected on the gala night on Saturday, where they will honour their colleagues and watch performances.

Khan, who is hosting the gala night, joined co-hosts Maniesh Paul and Riteish Deshmukh as well as performers Tiger Shroff, Shahid Kapoor, Ananya Panday and Sara Ali Khan on stage.

“I’ve known [the guys behind] IIFA since childhood and they’ve been exploiting me since,” Khan joked. “I have shared a long and successful relationship with Abu Dhabi. I have done several movies here. And it is so much fun being here."

Kapoor, who has performed at and hosted previous IIFA Awards, said he was glad to see live events being held again.

The IIFA Awards were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s so good to be travelling and meeting people again,” said Kapoor, who also revealed his performance will include a tribute to singer and composer Bappi Lahiri who died in February aged 69.

Ananya Panday, who made her Bollywood debut with the 2019 film Student of the Year 2, said her performance on Saturday would be her first time live on stage.

“I’m nervous and excited, but I’m so happy to be here in Abu Dhabi for such a massive event,” she said.

Director Farah Khan and actor Aparshakti Khurana, the hosts of IIFA Rocks, were also at the event, along with some of the night’s scheduled performers: composer and singer Devi Sri Prasad, composer Tanishk Bagchi and singers Asees Kaur, Zahrah S Khan and Dhvani Bhanushali.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh gave guests a taster of his performance.

Mohamed Al Zaabi, chief executive of Miral, the developer of Yas Island, welcomed the stars in Hindi.

“We are going to have an amazing weekend together, filled with cinema, fashion and culture,” he said. “Abu Dhabi is becoming a global destination for entertainment and international events like the IIFA Awards is a perfect example.”

First held in 2000, in London, the IIFA Awards were conceived by Mumbai event company Wizcraft International Entertainment. They’ve since been held in a different city every year. Dubai hosted in 2006.

Tickets to IIFA Rocks on Friday start at Dh55, while tickets to the IIFA Awards on Saturday are close to selling out, with just Middle Tier B (Dh440) and Lower Tier B (Dh1,000) still available at etihadarena.ae.

Scroll through the gallery for stars arriving for the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi:

Stars and performers for the IIFA Awards, taking place on Friday and Saturday, begin arriving at the celebrity host hotel W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island. All photos: IIFA 2022

Singer Neha Kakkar with husband and singer Rohanpreet Singh.

IIFA Rocks hosts, actor Aparshakti Khurana and director Farah Khan Kunder.

Singer Dhvani Bhanushali will also perform at IIFA Rocks on Friday.

Singer Tanishk Bagchi.

Director Farah Khan Kunder.

Singers Tanishk Bagchi, Asees Kaur and Zahrah S Khan, who will all perform at IIFA Rocks on Friday.

Actor Tiger Shroff.

Actress Sara Ali Khan.

Tiger Shroff, who will perform at the IIFA Awards, takes selfies with fans.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, who will perform at IIFA Rocks.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Actor and presenter Maniesh Paul.

IIFA Awards host and actor Maniesh Paul.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who will also host the IIFA Awards.

Deshmukh greets fans.

IIFA Awards host Salman Khan arriving at Dubai Airport.

Bollywood star Salman Khan.

Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez arriving at the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island.

Jacqueline Fernandez is one of the celebrity guests at the IIFA Awards gala on June 4.

Shahid Kapoor is one of the performers at the IIFA Awards on June 4.

Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor arrives at the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island.

Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal.

Arjun Rampal with girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades and their son Arik arrive at the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island.

Singer Guru Randhawa, who is one of the performers at the IIFA Rocks, arrives at the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island.