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 said.
“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.
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 second year in a row this weekend, with the musical IIFA Rocks and the gala IIFA Awards both being held at the Etihad Arena on Friday and Saturday.
At the IIFA's first green carpet event in England, Hollywood stars Colin Firth and Sienna Miller rubbed shoulders with top Bollywood actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra.
Salman Khan, who's performing at the Abu Dhabi show this weekend, was one of the performers, along with Abhishek Bachchan, who will host the show on Saturday at the Etihad Arena alongside actor Vicky Kaushal.
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 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.
The International Indian Film Academy Awards have been held around the world since the first event in London in 2000. Abu Dhabi will host the event at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island for the second year in a row this year. All photos: IIFA
The first IIFA Awards at London's Millennium Dome was as star-studded as they come, with Bollywood and Hollywood stars in attendance. Jackie Chan, who received an honorary award and Kylie Minogue, pictured, walked the red carpet. Angelina Jolie was also one of the presenters.
Priyanka Chopra, left, was the host of the second IIFA Awards in 2001 in Sun City, South Africa. Hrithik Roshan's debut film Kaho Naa Pyar Hai was the big winner of the night.
Held at Genting Highlands in Malaysia, the 2002 IIFA Awards was hosted by Miss Universe 2000 Lara Dutta. Another former Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen, pictured, was one of the performers of the night.
The awards returned to South Africa in 2003, this time to Johannesburg, hosted by Anil Kapoor and Dia Mirza. Pictured: veteran actor Dev Anand, who died in 2011, was given a career achievement award by Rekha.
Singapore hosted the 2004 IIFA Awards, with actors Rahul Khanna and Celina Jaitly as hosts. Pictured: Amitabh Bachchan, the brand ambassador for the event, was one of the presenters, while his wife Jaya's film Kal Ho Na Ho swept the awards that year.
Amsterdam got its taste of Bollywood magic in 2005, with director Karan Johar and actor Fardeen Khan as hosts. A performance by the Bachchan family, featuring Amitabh, Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek, pictured, was one of the highlights of the evening.
It was Dubai's turn to hold the IIFAs in 2006, with Lara Dutta returning as host, along with actor Fardeen Khan. The highlight of the night was a performance by Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, pictured.
Sheffield, England, hosted the 2007 awards, with Lara Dutta again taking on hosting duties, this time alongside actor Boman Irani. Govinda and Salman Khan, pictured, put up an electrifying performance on the night.
The IIFA Awards headed to Bangkok in 2008, with hosts Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh, pictured, leaving the audience in splits. Priyanka Chopra was one of the performers while Shah Rukh Khan's Chak De! India swept all the major awards.
Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh returned as host the next year, this time held in Macau. Deshmukh also performed with Govinda, pictured, on the night that clearly belonged to Jodhaa Akbar the period film starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
It was Sri Lanka's turn to experience some Bollywood magic in 2010, with Colombo playing host. Kareena Kapoor Khan, pictured, was one of the performers, while Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots won in most of the major categories.
Shah Rukh Khan was one of the star attractions in Toronto in 2011. The star was one of the performers and also won the Best Actor for his film My Name is Khan.
The IIFA Awards returned to Singapore in 2012, hosted by actors Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar. Ranbir Kapoor's performance, pictured, was one of the highlights of the night.
Veteran actress Sridevi, who'd just had a career revival with her film English Vinglish, was one of the performers at the IIFAs in 2013, with Macau playing host once again.
Florida hosted the 2014 awards, and a performance by Priyanka Chopra and John Travolta remains the highlight of this star-studded evening.
Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor played host at the 2015 awards, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the second time. Shraddha Kapoor, pictured, was one of the performers of the night, while Deepika Padukone received the Woman of the Year award.
Bollywood's biggest and brightest turned up for the IIFAs in Madrid, Spain, in 2016 hosted again by Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar. Deepika Padukone, pictured, was one of the star performers of the night.
New York City hosted the IIFAs in 2017, with Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's film Udta Punjab winning in all the main categories. Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan shared hosting duties. Pictured, Varun Dhawan presented Bhatt her Best Actress award.
Riteish Deshmukh, pictured with Kriti Sanon, returned as host along with Karan Johar for the 2018 awards, held for the second time in Bangkok. The night was an emotional one as Sridevi, who died earlier that year, won the Best Actress award for her role in Mom.
The IIFA Awards returned home to Mumbai in 2019, and it was as star-studded as it could get. Hosted by actor brothers Ayushmann Khurrana and Aparshakti Khurana, performers included Ranveer Singh, Salman Khan, Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif and Madhuri Dixit-Nene, pictured.
Bollywood megastar Salman Khan hosted the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi along with actors Maniesh Paul and Riteish Deshmukh. Khan got teary-eyed on stage when he recounted his early struggles and all the people who supported him while he was starting out in the industry and had limited means
Updated: May 24, 2023, 11:58 AM