The prestigious International Indian Film Academy Awards are making a comeback to Abu Dhabi this month, bringing forth a vibrant celebration of Bollywood.

Scheduled to take place on May 26 and 27 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the dazzling awards weekend nights will commence with IIFA Rocks—an enchanting evening dedicated to music and fashion. Preparations are also concurrently on, with stars arriving for some last-minute rehearsals. There will be live performances by Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandes, Nora Fatehi, and many other talented artists.

Salman Khan was in his elements as the chief patron of IIFA last year as well at the same venue. The event is being held for a rare, successive time with the Department of Tourism and Culture – Abu Dhabi and sponsors Miral extending their support.

Memories of a notable throwback moment from IIFA 2022 included actor Salman Khan sharing a heartfelt personal anecdote. He shared a time from his life when he encountered significant financial challenges, leaving a lasting impression on both the show and the hearts of the viewers.

The actor broke down narrating his whirlwind journey that catapulted him to super-stardom. The actor revealed that there was a period when he couldn’t even afford to buy a t-shirt. The actor was quoted as saying, “Earlier when I didn’t have money, at that time, I went to Suniel Shetty’s clothing shop. It was a very expensive one. I couldn’t afford anything more than a shirt or a pair of jeans. At that time, Suniel noticed that I had no money, so he gifted me a stone-wash shirt.

“He noticed that I had my eyes on a wallet,” as he walked towards Suneil’s son, Ahan Shetty, who was also attending the awards ceremony. “So he took me home and gave me that wallet,” he continued. Ahan stood up and hugged Salman, who was moved to tears by the memory.

The esteemed IIFA Awards will be graced by the charismatic hosting duo of Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan, who will infuse the event with their charm and wit. Additionally, the dynamic pairing of Farah Khan and Rajkummar Rao will be in charge of hosting the electrifying IIFA Rocks segment, adding their unique flair to the proceedings. There will also be a fashion show for the first time by Manish Malhotra, who will also be honoured with a special award.

Veterans honoured

This IIFA will have three special awards for notable or outstanding achievements in the history of Indian cinema. Kamal Haasan will be felicitated for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema’; the made-for-each-other couple – Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza – for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Regional Cinema’ and fashion designer Manish Malhotra will be feted for his ‘Outstanding Achievements’.

Kamal Haasan, 68, began his career as a child artist, at the age of six, in the 1960 Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma, bagging the President’s Gold Medal. He won the first of his four National Awards for his performance as a school teacher whose selfless devotion to a young woman suffering from retrograde amnesia leaves him heartbroken in the 1982 Tamil film, Moondram Pirai, which was remade three years later in Hindi as Sadma.

Over the years, he has distinguished himself as an actor, filmmaker, screenplay writer, playback singer and TV host, working in not just Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films, but also in the Hindi and Bengali industries. Recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, Kamal Haasan is one of Indian cinema’s living legends.