Why is the IIFA Awards carpet green? The story behind the move from traditional red

The first change of colour was introduced at the event in Sheffield, in 2007, for an important reason

Nargis Fakhri with Chunkey Pandey on the green carpet at the IIFA Awards 2022 at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island. Chris Whiteoak / The National

For 16 years, stars arriving at the annual International Indian Film Academy Awards have been greeted by a bright green carpet, instead of the traditional red. First introduced at the event in Sheffield, UK, in 2007, the colour change has not only allowed the travelling Bollywood ceremony to stand out, but also deliver an important global message about climate change.

“IIFA has always put the environmental agenda at the realm of IIFA Awards,” organisers told The National. “In 2007, we launched the concept 'Greening The IIFAs' and came up with the idea of bright green carpets instead of traditional red ones.

“IIFA has always helped create clever messaging on the environment that the stars and celebrities involved would convey to the audiences and fans globally. And today, with the power of celebrity following, it’s worked.”

First held in the year 2000, in London, the IIFA Awards were conceptualised by Mumbai event company Wizcraft International Entertainment to honour the best Hindi films and movie talents of the previous year. It is held in a different country every year, usually spread across a number of days, culminating with a gala awards night, and it has been instrumental in boosting Bollywood's popularity globally.

Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan at the IIFA Rocks in 2023. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dubai hosted the event in 2006, and other host countries have included Bangkok, New York, Colombo, Amsterdam, Madrid, Florida, Kuala Lumpur and Macau. Abu Dhabi plays host for the third year in a row this weekend. This year, the event, called IIFA Festival, will be spread across three days, starting with IIFA Utsavam on Friday, a night dedicated to South Indian films and entertainment.

The flagship IIFA Awards, which honours the best in Hindi films or films from Bollywood, takes place on Saturday. This will be followed by IIFA Rocks on Sunday, a night of music. All three events are being held at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will host this year's IIFA Awards alongside producer and director Karan Johar and actor Vicky Kaushal. The trio have all hosted the awards separately in the past. Meanwhile, IIFA Utsavam will be hosted by stars representing each of the regional South Indian languages.

Vicky Kaushal, right, and Sara Ali Khan arrive on the green carpet at the IIFA Awards 2023 in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Rana Dagubatti and Teja Sajja will host the Telugu awards, while Sathish and Diya Menon will represent the Tamil film industry. For Kannada films, actors Akul Balaji and Vijay Raghavendra will host, while the Malayalam segment will be hosted by actor Sudev Nair and actress Pearle Maaney.

Performers for the IIFA Awards include Bollywood veteran Rekha and actors Kaushal, Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Janhvi Kapoor.

For IIFA Utsavam, performers include actresses Pragya Jaiswal, Raashii Khanna, Regina Cassandra and Aradhana Ram as well as actor, director and choreographer Prabhu Deva and actor Shane Nigam. Composer Devi Sri Prasad, popularly known as DSP, will also perform.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her husband, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, on the green carpet in 2022. EPA

IIFA Rocks will begin with the Bollywood music trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The group are behind multiple hits spanning more than three decades and are made up of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. The trio will be honoured on the night, for their contribution to Indian cinema. Rapper Honey Singh, Romanian actress Lulia Vantur and singer Shilpa Rao will also perform.

The history of the red carpet

The term “red carpet treatment” is believed to have been coined in the 1900s when the New York Central Railroad typically used scarlet-coloured carpets for first-class ticket holders boarding the trains. Hollywood began to adopt the colour for film premières and events in the 1920s.

It achieved global status when broadcasters of the Academy Awards in 1964 started filming the arrival of guests as they stepped out of their limousines. The red carpet became the place where stars and VIPs made their grand entrance.

Today, it is used at major events around the world, including at formal ceremonial events to mark the path of heads of states.

– This story was originally published on May 24, 2023