A visual treat, Yas Island served as the perfect backdrop as the cameras captured the glittering performances on the stage and the film personalities vying for glory (Photo: India Outbound/Triya Ghosh)
For the second year running, Yas Island, the entertainment hub of Abu Dhabi, hosted Bollywood’s biggest event, the International Indian Film Academy awards (IIFA) at the Etihad Arena in the tiny island that is packed with entertainment sites, notably several theme parks to go with almost every theme.
As it is targetting India, its biggest source market, IIFA 2023 was a key benchmark in that journey and the star-studded event, held on May 26-27 packed a lot of punch, in terms of glamour and glitz for the awards ceremony. The glamour quotient for the event, especially the award evening on May 27, was particularly high with over 100 stars from the Indian film fraternity in attendance.
IIFA was launched in the year 2000 and positions itself as the event to honour Indian cinematic excellence and recognise the contributions of actors, directors, and technicians.
Every year, the show takes place in different countries, but for the last two years, it has been held at Yas Island at Etihad Arena, a large indoor arena which has a seating capacity of 18,000. But for IIFA 2023, that was clearly not enough as it was packed to brim with fans, not just from the Indian diaspora living in the United Arab Emirates, but also a number of silver-screen addicts from India and several locals and expats from other countries living in the UAE.
The audience was not disappointed as they were joined in by the who’s who of Bollywood celebrities, who entranced the audience with their exquisite performances on the stage. The two nights of star-studded fiesta comprised two shows, with a sensational evening of music and fashion shows featuring leading ladies and gentlemen of Bollywood. The big night of the awards was on May 27, an extravagant and opulent ceremony that could not be too far from the Oscars over glamour and audience numbers.
Lights, camera.. silver screen to life
Choreographer Farah Khan and actor RajKummar Rao lit up the green carpet ahead of the main event before actor Abhishek Bachchan, with his suave sense of humour, and actor Vicky Kaushal, with his impeccable sense of comic timing, were the joint masters of the ceremony.
Their contagious enthusiasm and seamless camaraderie kept the guests glued to their seats and thoroughly entertained through the entire night. Certainly, the jam-packed house was in for a treat as the duos’ impeccable charm left everyone wanting some more. Kaushal, told the audience that he was excited to share the stage with his “buddy Abhishek Bachchan”
As IIFA 2023 was held in collaboration with destination partner Miral Destinations and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the show began with a special act that paid homage to Abu Dhabi, building up the appetite of the audience for the night.
A visual treat, Yas Island served as the perfect backdrop as the cameras captured the glittering performances on the stage and the film personalities vying for glory. The evening saw a total of 15 awards given away. According to the organisers, the winners are decided by a jury panel made up of business experts and also based on the results of public voting.
Noted playback singer Shreya Ghoshal kicked off the awards that night, bagging the award as ‘Best Playback Singer Female’.
Leaves you wanting for more
Catching everyone off guard, actor Varun Dhawan’s stunning arrival from the first-floor audience gallery of the arena immediately roused the crowd into ecstasy while the thrilling energy of his performances pulsated through the audience. Femme fatale, actress Nora Fatehi brought the house down with her cabaret act on yesteryear hits as a tribute to the era.
Lighting up the arena was also actress Kriti Sanon with her scintillating performance in a medley of hits. She was followed by Jacqueline Fernandez’s dazzle and sizzle numbers and Rakul Preet Singh’s graceful presence captivating the audience with yesteryear hits. And last but not the least, taking the IIFA stage by a storm with his opening act and IIFA’s closing extravaganza for the night was Salman Khan’s performance with the wildly popular Norwegian dance group Quick Style.
Industry veteran actor Kamal Haasan received a standing ovation when he was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema award (Photo: India Outbound/Triya Ghosh)
Industry veteran actor Kamal Haasan received a standing ovation when he was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema award. Actors Hrithik Roshan bagged the Best Actor (Male) for Vikram Vedha, while Alia Bhatt won the Best Actor (Female) for Gangubai Kathiawadi respectively. Legendary actor Irrfan Khan’s son, Babil bagged the Best Debut Actor award for Qala. Sparking a new discovery, the directorial debut of actor R Madhavan took the centre stage as he was conferred the award of Best Director for Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.
