Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan to host IIFA Awards 2023 in Abu Dhabi

Bachchan, who was to host the event with actors Farhan Akhtar and Maniesh Paul before it was postponed, said he was ecstatic

Bollywood stars Vickey Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan will take on hosting duties when IIFA returns to Abu Dhabi this year. Photo: IIFA

Bollywood stars Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan will host the International Indian Film Academy Awards when it returns to Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena.

The two-day event celebrating Bollywood is scheduled to be held on May 26 and 27 at the Yas Island venue.

The event will kick off with IIFA Rocks, a night dedicated to music and fashion, with the main awards gala held on the second night.

Bachchan, who was to host the gala night with actors Farhan Akhtar and Maniesh Paul before the event was postponed from February to May, said he was "ecstatic".

"IIFA is like family to me and it gives me immense pleasure to celebrate the extraordinary range that Indian cinema has to offer," he said.

Kaushal, who won the IIFA's Best Actor award for his role in the historical film Sardar Udham last year, said he can't wait to be "back to take centre stage".

"My journey with IIFA goes back seven years to my first film Masaan when I won the Best Debut Award, followed by Best Supporting Actor for Sanju and Best Actor for Sardar Udham last year," he said.

Scroll through the gallery below for more pictures from the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi

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.

The IIFA Awards are usually held in a different city every year, but is returning to Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row.

Stars confirmed to perform this year include Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Karan Johar and Kriti Sanon.

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

Cities that have previously hosted the awards include Dubai, Bangkok, New York, Colombo, Amsterdam, Madrid, Florida, Kuala Lumpur and Macau.

Last year's 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.

The prestigious event was set to return to Etihad Arena this month, but was postponed until May. No details on the reasons for the postponement were given. However, Etihad Arena’s Instagram account posted information for those who have already purchased their tickets.

“All customers with existing tickets will receive revised tickets for the new dates automatically. Existing ticket holders can also request a refund by emailing their request to the respective ticketing platform, from which the purchase was made within 10 working days," the post read.

“All refunds will then be processed accordingly. Tickets will continue to be on sale for the new dates with immediate effect at etihadarena.ae.”

Scroll through the gallery below for all the green carpet looks at last 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.