The IIFA fever in Abu Dhabi

Lifestyle Sunday 29/September/2024 19:00 PM
By: Rahul Das
The IIFA fever in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: After traversing 17 cities in its 24-year run ever since it kicked off in London in 2000, the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards returned to UAE capital on Saturday night for the third time.

The five-hour song-and-dance extravaganza played out well past 2am on Saturday night, but none seemed to mind because that meant seeing their favourite stars deliver entertainment, entertainment, entertainment!

However, the baton for the 24th IIFA Awards was in possession of Bollywood’s Gen Z brigade (people born between 1996 and 2010) but a certain 70-year-old lady upstaged them, fixing the spotlight firmly on her.

The 20,000-strong audience at the Etihad Arena at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi sat spellbound as legendary, Rekha took the stage alongside 150 dancers for a 22 minute dance sequence, making it the highlight of the five-hour extravaganza, organised by Wizcraft, on September 28.

After Rekha, it was the turn for the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan to steal the show at Abu Dhabi.

The second day of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards 2024 was a star-studded affair, held in Abu Dhabi. Bollywood’s biggest celebrities graced the event, including icons like Hema Malini, Rekha, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Vicky Kaushal, Shahid Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon.

One of the major highlights of the night was Shah Rukh Khan, who not only hosted the event but also entertained the audience with his signature charm. Joining him on stage were Vicky Kaushal and Karan Johar, and together, they gave an electrifying performance on Shah Rukh’s hit song “Jhoome Jo Pathaan.” The crowd couldn’t get enough as the stars lit up the stage with their dance moves.

Excitement reached its peak with the announcement of the winners. Below is the complete list of winners in the popular category at IIFA 2024:

The three-day celebration kick-started on September 27 with IIFA Utsavam, an event dedicated to the southern film industries--Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

IIFA 2024 will be concluded on September 29 with the exclusive, invitation-only IIFA Rocks. Artists such as Honey Singh, Shilpa Rao and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will perform live for the audience.