Less than a year after the International Indian Film Academy Awards held its first Abu Dhabi ceremony, the prestigious annual Bollywood event is set to return to the capital.
The IIFA Awards will take place in the UAE again in February 2023, it was announced at a press conference on Yas Island on Thursday, attended by Saleh Mohammed Al Geziry, director general for tourism, The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, chief executive of Miral; Aref Hamad Al Awani, general secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council; and Saif Al Noaimi, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management.
Noreen Khan, vice president of the IIFA, attended the conference via a video call from India: “The Wizcraft team and the Bollywood stars all had such a great and positive experience in the emirate the first time around,” she said. Khan also revealed that award-winning composer AR Rahman will be in concert at Etihad Arena on October 29.
The 2022 IIFA event was held on June 3 to 4 at Etihad Arena after being postponed from its original May date, following the death of Sheikh Khalifa.
It was the first time it was held in the UAE since 2006, when it took place in Dubai, and it was the event's Abu Dhabi debut.
The IIFA Weekend & Awards featured performances by some of the biggest Indian stars across two days, with many of the top films and actors of the past year honoured on the final night.
First held in London in 2000, 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, 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.
While the 2020 and 2021 awards were cancelled owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2019 IIFA event was held in Mumbai, the home of Bollywood.
"Over the last 21 years, the IIFA has not only given Indian cinema an international platform, but it has created a wonderful opportunity to take us to our fans and connect millions of people globally," host Salman Khan said.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the best green carpet looks from IIFA Awards 2022
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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.
