By Isha Sahni
The 15thInternational Film Academy Awards (IFFA) also referred to as the Oscars of Bollywood are a set of awards presented to honour excellence of professionals in both artistic and technical field in Bollywood, Hindi language film Industry. Every Year, the Videocon DDB IIFA Weekend & Awards enchant the world from an exotic locale. An exquisite amalgamation of the culture, the colours, the locals and the flavours become an inseparable part of the magic of IIFA. This year, IFFA is celebrating the event in the Tampa Bay- United States of America.
Over a period of 4 days, IIFA organises a variety of events ranging from press conferences, parties, film premieres, film festivals, business forums, celebrity special events to the glamorous IIFA Awards Ceremony marked by spectacular performance.
Tampa Bay being the first city in the USA to host the Weekend is eagerly looking for the event which will kick off on April 23 and continue through the 26th, leading up to the IIFA’s trademark green carpet at the Raymond James Stadium.
The event is expected to see a host of Hollywood celebrities as well as biggies from the Hindi film industry coming together and rubbing shoulders. Akon, the International singer, who got a roaring response for lending his voice to “Chammakchallo” – a popular track from the movie “Ra.One” – is also expected to be present for the awards.
Many Bollywood stars have been enthusiastically promoting IIFA in the US. Anil Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra toured Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and New York with the IIFA management to create a buzz about the awards extravaganza.Both Anil and Priyanka have an international connect. Anil Kapoor is very popular for his act in the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire” and TV show “24”, Priyanka launched her career as a singer with her first single “In my city” in the US.
Not just the Bollywood celebrities are excited for the upcoming award ceremony but even the USA sees this as a milestone opportunity to increase the tourism in Tampa bay. According to an official, they expect a 30% increase in the number of tourist from India.
A very interesting point being,Bollywood is as new to Tampa Bay as Tampa Bay will be for Bollywood. A lot of work and efforts need to be put to bring together all forces, literally, to facilitate a well-organised and memorable show.
The 15th IIFA- A Milestone event for the USA? added by Indian newspaper Sydney on
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