Farhan Akhtar, Abhishek Bachchan and Maniesh Paul to host IIFA Awards 2023 in Abu Dhabi

The glitzy Bollywood event will return to Etihad Arena for the second year in a row

Actors Maniesh Paul, Riteish Deshmukh and Salman Khan hosted the 22nd IIFA Awards at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. All photos: IIFA2022

Salman Khan arrived to the venue on a motorbike.

Actor Tiger Shroff was one of the first performers of the night.

Tiger Shroff is known for his high-energy dance moves.

Shroff performed a mix of his hits, including 'Whistle Baja', 'Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main', 'Dus Bahane' and 'Jai Jai Shivshankar'.

Singer Jubin Natiyal won the Best Playback Singer (Male) for the song 'Raataan Lambiyan' from the film 'Shershaah'.

Asees Kaur also won Best Playback Singer (Female) for 'Raataan Lambiyan' from the film 'Shershaah'.

Ahan Shetty won the Best Debut (Male) for his role in 'Tadap'.

Actor Suniel Shetty handed the Best Debut (Male) award to his son Ahan Shetty.

Actress Divya Khosla Kumar performs.

Rapper Yo Yo Singh and Guru Randhawa debuted their song 'Designer' at the IIFA Awards.

The musicians were joined by Divya Khosla Kumar for a performance.

Punjabi pop star Guru Randhawa performs.

Rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh on stage.

Actor Abhishek Bachchan appears on stage.

Nora Fatehi on stage at the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi.

Nora Fatehi shared the stage with a young dancer, Kashni from Abu Dhabi, who she found via an Instagram scout.

Fatehi also debuted her new song 'Dirty Little Secrets' in Abu Dhabi.

Filmmaker Vishnuvardhan's film 'Shershaah' won both Best Director and Best Picture.

Anurag Basu won Best Original Story for 'Ludo'.

Sai Tamhankar with her award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film 'Mimi'.

Pankaj Tripathi won Best Supporting Actor for his role in 'Ludo'.

Kriti Sanon received the Best Actress for her role in the film 'Mimi'.

Vicky Kaushal with his Best Actor for his role in 'Sardar Udham'.

Abhishek Bachchan began his performance with the song 'Indiawale'.

Abhishek Bachchan performs. His was one of the most well-received performances of the night.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Aaradhya dancing as they watch Abhishek Bachchan perform.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaradhya enjoy Abhishek's performance on the front row.

Ananya Panday performs.

Actress Sara Ali Khan performs.

Abhishek Bachchan performs.

Ananya Panday's first ever live performance didn't seem like one. She aced it like a seasoned performer.

Sara Ali Khan delivered a high-energy set on stage.

For his performance, Shahid Kapoor made his entrance with the song 'Yaad Aa Raha Hai' via a small platform above the audience.

Kapoor's performance was a tribute to Bollywood singer and composer Bappi Lahiri, who died in February.

Kapoor also pulled actress Ananya Panday from the audience.

Lahiri was known for introducing Bollywood to disco and electronic music. For Kapoor's performance, the Etihad Arena was converted into a disco hall.

Kapoor was also joined by Nora Fatehi for a song.

Kapoor's tribute to Lahiri was the final performance of the night.

Organisers of the International Indian Film Academy Awards have named the hosts for the main ceremony, to be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on February 11.

Bollywood stars Farhan Akhtar and Abhishek Bachchan will be joined by returning host, actor Maniesh Paul, for the gala awards, which recognise the best Bollywood films and actors from the previous year. Paul hosted the evening earlier this year at the Etihad Arena alongside actors Salman Khan and Riteish Deshmukh.

Scroll through the gallery above for highlights from this year's IIFA Awards in Abu Dhabi

The annual event is usually held in a different city, but is returning to Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row. Spread across a number of days, the IIFA Weekend & Awards will take place from February 9 to 11, with the final gala awards night preceded by IIFA Rocks, an evening dedicated to musical performances.

Bollywood stars Farhan Akhtar, Abhishek Bachchan and Maniesh Paul will host the IIFA Awards at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena next year. Photo: Wizcraft

Stars confirmed to attend so far include Khan, who is an ambassador for the event, as well as fellow actors Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon. Director and producer Karan Johar will also attend.

"I'm ecstatic to be hosting the 23rd edition of IIFA at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. IIFA is like family to me. I am looking forward to entertaining, meeting fans and connecting with them globally," Bachchan, who was one of the performers this year, said.

Akhtar, who has hosted past IIFA Awards, said he was looking forward to taking part next year in Abu Dhabi.

"IIFA is the only global platform that has travelled the world. It has bought cinema lovers closer from all across the globe," he said.

First held in London in 2000, the IIFA Awards were conceptualised by Mumbai event company Wizcraft International Entertainment and has been instrumental in boosting Bollywood's popularity globally.

Dubai hosted the event in 2006, and so has Bangkok, New York, Colombo, Amsterdam, Madrid, Florida, Kuala Lumpur and Macau.

The 2022 event marked the first time it was held in Abu Dhabi, on June 3 to 4 after being postponed from its original May date following the death of Sheikh Khalifa.

More than 20,000 fans attended the event across two days, IIFA said.

Scroll through the gallery below for all the green carpet looks at this year's IIFA Awards in Abu Dhabi

Actors Abhishek Bachchan and his wife, Aishwarya Rai, join some of the biggest Bollywood stars on the green carpet at the IIFA Awards on Saturday at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National

Actress Ananya Panday.

Actor Vicky Kaushal.

Actress Sara Ali Khan.

Nargis Fakhri.

Actress Urvashi Rautela.

Actor Pankaj Tripathi.

Actress Sai Tamhankar.

Actor Bobby Deol.

Actor Aparshakti Khurana, host of the IIFA Rocks night on Friday.

Actress Gauahar Khan and her husband, Zaid Darbar.

Singer Dhvani Bhanushali, who performed as part of IIFA Rocks on Friday.

Actors Mugdha Godse and Rahul Dev.

Actor and director Anurag Basu.

Actress Rakhi Sawant.

Actress and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta Bhupathi.

Actress Kriti Sanon.

Internet sensation Abdu Rozik.

Actor Suniel Shetty arrives with his wife, Mana.

Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor.

Genelia Deshmukh with a guest. Genelia's husband Riteish Deshmukh is one of the hosts of the IIFA Awards 2022.

Sara Ali Khan arrives was one of the performers of the night.

Actress Mamta Mohandas.

Model and actress Erica Fernandes.

Actor Arshad Warsi.

Actor Ahan Shetty.

Actress Tamannaah Bhatia.

Actress Priyamani with her husband, Mustafa Raj.

Actress Sharvari.

Actor Suniel Shetty greets fans.

Actress Amruta Khanvilkar.

Actor Aparshakti Khurana.

Singer Zahrah S Khan.

Singer Romeo.

Actor Shahid Kapoor.

'Idol' series creator Simon Fuller.

Producer Bhushan Kumar.