South Indian International Movie Awards will return to Dubai this weekend

The awards are usually a Who's Who of Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam cinema

Rana Daggubati pictured when in Dubai for SIIMA in 2013. Sarah Dea / The National

The South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) return to the UAE this weekend, with a star-studded, two-night event on the 14th and 15th of September that will celebrate the best of Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam cinema at Bollywood Parks Dubai.

Stars including Chiranjeevi, Rana Daggubati, Madavan, Aditi Rao Hydari, Puneet Rajkumar and Nivin Pauly are expected to attend the ceremony at the 850-seat Rajmahal Theatre, which will also feature live performances from some of the biggest names in the industry – previous editions have featured live performances from top artists such as Pooja Hegde, Hansika, Shriya Saran and indomitable songstress Usha Uthup.

This will be the fifth time the awards have been held in the UAE, and the fourth in Dubai. Last year’s event was held at Abu Dhabi’s National Exhibition Centre. SIIMA was launched in 2012 in a bid to challenge the dominance of Bollywood cinema in international markets, particularly following the growing popularity of Southern Indian cinema in the tradtional Bollywood stronghold of Northern India, and the huge box office success of movies such as the Baahubali films .

The late Sridevi, pictured at the Siima awards in Dubai in 2013

Brinda Prasad, Chairperson, SIIMA, said: “We are thrilled to host the SIIMA Awards at a venue that celebrates some of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema. The Rajmahal theatre especially is a mesmerising backdrop and we are looking forward to a fantastic evening in the company of cinema lovers from all over Dubai and the world as we present these awards.”

Rajmahal Theatre in Bollywood Parks will host this year's SIIMA

For more information about this year's event, visit the South Indian International Movie Awards website.

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