The second edition of the Times of India Film Awards will be held in Dubai on March 18, bringing with it a host of Bollywood celebrities.
The event promises performances and appearances from some of the biggest names in Indian film, including Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, YoYo Honey Singh and many more.
Organisers will be hoping to repeat the success of the inaugural event, held in Vancouver, Canada in 2013, which attracted a live audience of about 40,000 fans.
“TOIFA Dubai is going to be the biggest Bollywood event ever hosted in the Gulf region, with performances by some of the biggest Bollywood celebrities on one stage,” said Sameer Soni, director of international business at The Times of India Group.
Actors Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez, who are in Abu Dhabi filming the action movie Dishoom, launched the event, which will be staged at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai Sports City.
Dhawan said: “I Look forward to catching all Bollywood fans at Dubai International Stadium and promise you a fabulous TOIFA weekend.”
Fernandez added: “I am excited to be part of TOIFA’s second edition and represent the Hindi film industry in Dubai. The atmosphere in Dubai is always electrifying and I look forward to adding to the magic on March 18.” – The National staff
OSN in new deal with Discovery channels
OSN has extended its partnership with Discovery Communications in the region.
It will continue to broadcast Discovery’s channels and add two more to its line-up.
IDX HD, which replaces ID: Investigation Discovery, is a mystery and suspense channel showcasing the best in gripping stories and dramatic reconstructions of real-life mysteries.
Discovery Family HD is a brand-new channel for all ages – from space adventures and crazy experiments in popular science, to fascinating tales of animals in the wild, which will replace Discovery World. – The National staff
Former 1D star’s debut single tops UK charts
Former One Direction star Zayn Malik topped the British charts with the fastest-selling single of the year so far on Friday, his debut release, Pillow Talk.
It notched up combined sales of 112,000, with 4.97 million streams, according to the Official Charts Company.
Malik left One Direction last March after five years with the hugely successful boyband that was discovered on The X Factor. – Reuters
Bruno Mars to perform at Super Bowl
Bruno Mars has confirmed he will perform at tonight’s Super Bowl 50 half-time show alongside Coldplay and Beyoncé.
The singer posted a photo on Instagram on Friday of himself at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, where the Denver Broncos will take on the Carolina Panthers.
Mars wrote, “It ain’t a party if Mr $how Up & $how out doesn’t show up,” along with the hashtag #confirmed.
The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer previously performed at the 2014 Super Bowl in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
His hits include Locked Out of Heaven, Just the Way You Are and Uptown Funk with Mark Ronson. – AP
Star Wars set to hit $2bn in ticket sales
Global ticket sales for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, which was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi, were expected to hit the US$2 billion (Dh7.3bn) mark in global sales yesterday.
The film is currently the third highest-grossing movie in Hollywood history, though it still has some way to go to overtake James Cameron's Avatar, which is in the top spot with $2.8bn.
Another Cameron film, Titanic, is in second place, with $2.2bn. – Reuters
