The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards returned last year after a hiatus of three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was held in Abu Dhabi. The 23rd version of the IIFA is now all set to take place this year on May 26 and 27 at Yas Islands in Abu Dhabi. This is the second time in a row that the awards show will happen in the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Over the last 23 years, IIFA has been awarding the best of Bollywood each year. The awards show has seen the attendance of biggies like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan to newbies like Vicky Kaushal.
However, in all these years, a number of big Hollywood stars too have graced IIFA, right from its first edition in 2000. In fact, the inaugural year itself saw a list of international celebs attending the show, including Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Kylie Minogue, Finley Quaye, Miranda Richardson, Sussanah York, Talvin Singh and Ashok Amritraj.
The moment of the night that year arrived when Shah Rukh Khan and Angelina Jolie shared the stage to present the Best Actress Award to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The pictures and videos of that moment still gets fans in awe of both the stars.
Salman Khan also had his moment of glory at the IIFA in 2006 in Dubai when he arrived with the Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme to present the Best Actor Award to none other than Amitabh Bachchan for his performance in Bhansali’s Black.
Similarly, Hollywood actor Colin Firth attended the IIFA in 2007. The edition in 2011 saw an interesting moment of Shah Rukh Khan accepting his Best Actor Award for My Name Is Khan from Hillary Swank and Anil Kapoor. Hollywood actress Liv Ullman was seen gracing the IIFA awards in 2012.
The 2014 edition of IIFA saw hilarious scenes as Kevin Spacey performed on ‘Lungi Dance’ from Chennai Express with Shahid Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar. The heartthrob from Pakistan Fawad Khan jointly hosted the 2016 edition of the IIFA with Karan Johar.
With May 26 being less than a month away, we expect more of such exciting moments with international stars at the IIFA this year. This year, IIFA returns to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, with an unforgettable experience with the world of Bollywood. A weekend of Cinema, Music, Fashion, and Culture lighting up the golden shores of Abu Dhabi. With the excitement and action of Yas Island, come and enjoy the luxurious leisure of fine dining, theme parks, water & motorsports, golf courses, and shopping to make this weekend a vacation of a lifetime. The festivities start on May 26 with IIFA Rocks hosted by Farah Khar followed by the IIFA Awards on May 27, hosted by Abhishek Bachchan and Vicky Kaushal. Both events will see a plethora of performances from well-known faces in Indian cinema
