• South Indian composer and singer Devi Sri Prasad performs at IIFA Rocks at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on June 3. All photos: IIFA 2022
    South Indian composer and singer Devi Sri Prasad performs at IIFA Rocks at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on June 3. All photos: IIFA 2022
  • Devi Sri Prasad, popularly known as DSP, created a special mix for his Abu Dhabi performance — blending one of his hits 'OO Antava Mava' with Arabic beats and the Punjabi dhol.
    Devi Sri Prasad, popularly known as DSP, created a special mix for his Abu Dhabi performance — blending one of his hits 'OO Antava Mava' with Arabic beats and the Punjabi dhol.
  • The IIFA Rocks show was hosted by director Farah Khan Kunder and actor Aparshakti Khurana.
    The IIFA Rocks show was hosted by director Farah Khan Kunder and actor Aparshakti Khurana.
  • Dancers performing at IIFA Rocks.
    Dancers performing at IIFA Rocks.
  • Composer A R Rahman being honoured by host Farah Khan Kunder.
    Composer A R Rahman being honoured by host Farah Khan Kunder.
  • Singer Neha Kakkar on stage.
    Singer Neha Kakkar on stage.
  • Neha Kakkar also performed with her husband, singer Rohanpreet Singh.
    Neha Kakkar also performed with her husband, singer Rohanpreet Singh.
  • Neha Kakkar and Rohanpreet Singh on the IIFA Rocks stage.
    Neha Kakkar and Rohanpreet Singh on the IIFA Rocks stage.
  • The couple performed their hits together.
    The couple performed their hits together.
  • Hosts Farah Khan Kunder and Aparshakti Khurana share a light moment with actor Chunky Panday.
    Hosts Farah Khan Kunder and Aparshakti Khurana share a light moment with actor Chunky Panday.
  • Singer and actor Zahrah S Khan performs.
    Singer and actor Zahrah S Khan performs.
  • Zahra S Khan shares the stage with singer and composer Tanisk Bagchi.
    Zahra S Khan shares the stage with singer and composer Tanisk Bagchi.
  • Neha Kakkar belted out her hits.
    Neha Kakkar belted out her hits.
  • Singers Asees Kaur and Zahrah S Khan on stage.
    Singers Asees Kaur and Zahrah S Khan on stage.
  • Singer Asees Kaur performs.
    Singer Asees Kaur performs.
  • Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was one of the models for the fashion show.
    Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was one of the models for the fashion show.
  • Actress Ananya Panday walks the catwalk for designers Falguni and Shane Peacock.
    Actress Ananya Panday walks the catwalk for designers Falguni and Shane Peacock.
  • Bollywood actors Ananya Panday and Jacqueline Fernandez helped showcase the latest collection by celebrity favourite designers Shane and Falguni Peacock.
    Bollywood actors Ananya Panday and Jacqueline Fernandez helped showcase the latest collection by celebrity favourite designers Shane and Falguni Peacock.

Bollywood puts on a rocking show for Abu Dhabi on the first night of the IIFA Awards


Aarti Jhurani
  • English
  • Arabic

IIFA Awards 2022 live: Salman Khan joins Bollywood stars for IIFA Rocks in Abu Dhabi

You know a show is truly successful when the audience starts dancing in their seats and in the aisles — and this was the case halfway through the IIFA Rocks show, part of the IIFA Awards weekend on Friday night.

The show started about two hours late on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and did not get off to a very strong start, but it picked up pretty soon.

The hosts for the evening — Farah Khan Kunder and Aparshakti Khurana — tried hard to get momentum going, especially in the beginning, but things really started looking up when South Indian composer and singer Devi Sri Prasad took to the stage to belt out some of his popular hits, including the viral hit Srivalli from the film Pushpa.

He also performed other songs such as Seeti Maar and Dhinka Chika from Bollywood star Salman Khan’s films.

DSP, as the composer is popularly known, also created a special mix for his Abu Dhabi performance — blending another one of his hits, OO Antava Mawa with Arabic beats and the Punjabi dhol.

The performance, which included belly dancers and a bright and colourful background resembling a Bollywood film set, was one of the highlights of the night.

But it was Guru Randhawa who got the audiences out of their seats and moving to his most popular hits such as Lagdi Lahore Di, High Rated Gabru, Suit Suit and Dance Meri Rani.

His act was followed by the most in-demand artist of the night, Honey Singh, who kept the tempo going with Blue Eyes, Desi Kalaakar and Love Dose.

Bollywood stars at IIFA Rocks, the first night of IIFA Awards 2022 - in pictures

  • Salman Khan walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks on the first night of the IIFA Awards 2022 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Salman Khan walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks on the first night of the IIFA Awards 2022 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Shahid Kapoor will perform at the gala night on June 4.
    Shahid Kapoor will perform at the gala night on June 4.
  • Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan on the green carpet.
    Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan on the green carpet.
  • Actress Ananya Panday in a blue Marchesa dress.
    Actress Ananya Panday in a blue Marchesa dress.
  • Actress Divya Khosla Kumar will perform on June 4.
    Actress Divya Khosla Kumar will perform on June 4.
  • Ananya Panday said her performance on June 4 would be her first ever live performance.
    Ananya Panday said her performance on June 4 would be her first ever live performance.
  • Sara Ali Khan will be one of the performers at the IIFA Awards 2022 on June 4.
    Sara Ali Khan will be one of the performers at the IIFA Awards 2022 on June 4.
  • She said she wanted to go skydiving in Abu Dhabi.
    She said she wanted to go skydiving in Abu Dhabi.
  • Actor and director Anurag Basu.
    Actor and director Anurag Basu.
  • Divya Khosla Kumar on the green carpet.
    Divya Khosla Kumar on the green carpet.
  • Singer and composer Tanishk Bagchi.
    Singer and composer Tanishk Bagchi.
  • South Indian actress Mamta Mohandas walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022.
    South Indian actress Mamta Mohandas walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022.
  • Mohandas wore a dress by Ashely Robello.
    Mohandas wore a dress by Ashely Robello.
  • Tanishk Bagchi is known for many Bollywood hits including 'Ratan Lambiyan' and 'Dance Meri Rani'.
    Tanishk Bagchi is known for many Bollywood hits including 'Ratan Lambiyan' and 'Dance Meri Rani'.
  • Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh makes a striking entrance.
    Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh makes a striking entrance.
  • Singer Asees Kaur is also one of the performers at IIFA Rocks 2022.
    Singer Asees Kaur is also one of the performers at IIFA Rocks 2022.
  • Singer Zahrah S Khan will also perform at IIFA Rocks.
    Singer Zahrah S Khan will also perform at IIFA Rocks.
  • Actor Fardeen Khan said he would return to films soon.
    Actor Fardeen Khan said he would return to films soon.
  • Singer Neha Kakkar walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022.
    Singer Neha Kakkar walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022.
  • Zahrah S Khan glowed in an electric blue off-shoulder dress by Lebanese designer Ziad Germano.
    Zahrah S Khan glowed in an electric blue off-shoulder dress by Lebanese designer Ziad Germano.
  • Actress Urvashi Rautela walks the green carpet.
    Actress Urvashi Rautela walks the green carpet.
  • Tiger Shroff is one of the star performers at the gala night on June 4.
    Tiger Shroff is one of the star performers at the gala night on June 4.
  • Singer Guru Randhawa will perform at IIFA Rocks.
    Singer Guru Randhawa will perform at IIFA Rocks.
  • Actress and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta.
    Actress and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta.
  • Dutta said she was looking forward to visiting the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
    Dutta said she was looking forward to visiting the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
  • Actor Bobby Deol on the green carpet.
    Actor Bobby Deol on the green carpet.
  • Actress Rakhi Sawant was one of the guests.
    Actress Rakhi Sawant was one of the guests.
  • Actor Maneish Paul will host the IIFA Awards on June 4 along with actors Salman Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.
    Actor Maneish Paul will host the IIFA Awards on June 4 along with actors Salman Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.
  • Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022.
    Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022.
  • Actress Jacqueline Fernandez walks the green carpet.
    Actress Jacqueline Fernandez walks the green carpet.
  • Actor Maneish Paul on the green carpet.
    Actor Maneish Paul on the green carpet.
  • Actress Gauahar Khan walks the green carpet.
    Actress Gauahar Khan walks the green carpet.
  • Singer and composer Devi Sri Prasad, popularly known as DSP, is one of the performers at IIFA Rocks.
    Singer and composer Devi Sri Prasad, popularly known as DSP, is one of the performers at IIFA Rocks.
  • Salman Khan walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022 event held in Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Salman Khan walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks 2022 event held in Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Actress and dancer Nora Fatehi walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks.
    Actress and dancer Nora Fatehi walks the green carpet at IIFA Rocks.
  • Nora Fatehi is set to perform at the IIFA Awards on June 4.
    Nora Fatehi is set to perform at the IIFA Awards on June 4.

The two popular rappers also debuted their new collaborative single, Designer, which after the very upbeat set they both performed, seemed a tad dull.

Tanishk Bagchi, Asees Kaur, Ash King and Zahrah Khan took to the stage to perform a mix of their own hits such as Raata Lambiyan, Dholna and Har Funn Maula, as well as remixes of older songs including Dilbar Dilbar and Humma Humma.

The night was not only about the performances, though: several technical awards were handed out as well, with Sardar Udham the biggest winner of the night, picking up gongs for Best Cinematography, Editing and Special Effects.

Atrangi Re won Oscar-winning composer A R Rahman the prize for Background Score, while Vijay Ganguly picked up the award for choreography for the popular track Chaka Chak — which Sara Ali Khan will perform on the awards night on Saturday.

Popular duo Falguni & Shane Peacock, whose designs are often spotted on red carpets in Bollywood and Hollywood, debuted a special collection, with Jacqueline Fernandez and Ananya Panday modelling some very sparkly dresses.

The closing act of the night was singer Neha Kakkar, who performed a mix of some of her own and other popular songs, and proved yet again why she is one of the most popular playback singers today.

It was truly a rocking night at IIFA Rocks and it set the tone for what is to come on Saturday — even bigger performances, bigger awards and bigger stars.

Stay tuned for our coverage from the second day of the IIFA weekend in Abu Dhabi

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What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.

Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.

Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.

When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety

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Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.

It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.

They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
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Jigra
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Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

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if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr

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Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

Updated: June 04, 2022, 6:33 AM