Abu Dhabi cemented its reputation as great hosts as the 23rd IIFA) Awards came to an end at the Etihad Arena, where the event was held for a second successive time after drawing praise from the creme de la creme of Bollywood.

The International Indian Film Academy Awards is a celebration of the key achievements from the tinsel town in the year gone by, but attempts are made to take the event to different corners of the world even though the popular industry does not have to. IIFA 2022 was a runaway success because of the excellent hosting arrangements by the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi and the reputation was enhanced over the weekend.

The Sobha Realty and NEXA-sponsored IIFA saw star performances, a rain of celebrity glitterati, some veteran names honoured and achievements recognised over two nights of fun and glamour. Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences, joined in as the other key, local collaborator.

The first evening focuses on music and fashion traditionally under the banner of IIFA Rocks. Cue exciting performances by Amit Trivedi, Badshah, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhbir Singh, Palak Muchhal & Iulia Vantur, the touted girlfriend of Salman Khan, the show’s superstar representative icon for Bollywood. The evening programme was presented by Farah Khan and Rajkummar Rao.

The musical spectacular began with a dance performance by Palak Muchhal, who was followed by Farah Khan, who also danced her way on to the stage. Rao entered while playing the song Main Hoon Na, and the two recreated a scene from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, in which they both greeted the crowd and engaged in witty conversation about friendship.

Chauhan, Badshah, Jacqueline Fernandez, Rakul Preet Singh and Nora Fatehi gave enthralling performances later in the evening.

Awards were given out through the glitzy IIFA statuette across various categories, including in the technical aspects. One of the key highlights of IIFA Rocks was a special collection showcased by Bollywood’s favourite designer Manish Malhotra. The collection reflected ‘old world charm meets the new world’ that was breakthrough and imaginative and had Salman Khan and Nora Fatehi as the showstoppers for the evening.

And the award goes to:

• Best Picture Category | Drishyam 2
• Best Direction Category| R Madhavan for Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
• Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) | Alia Bhatt for Gangubai Kathiawadi
• Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) | Hrithik Roshan for Vikram Vedha
• Performance In A Supporting Role (Female) | Mouni Roy for Brahmastra: Part 1 – Shiva
• Performance In A Supporting Role (Male) | Anil Kapoor for Jug Jugg Jeeyo
• Music Direction | Pritam for Brahmastra: Part 1 – Shiva
• Playback Singer (Female) | Shreya Ghoshal for the song Rasiya from Brahmastra: Part 1 – Shiva
• Playback Singer (Male) | Arijit Singh for the song Kesariya from Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva
• Best Story (Original) | Parveez Sheikh and Jasmeet Reen for the film Darlings
• Best Story (Adapted) | Aamil Keeyan Khan and Abhishek Pathak for Drishyam 2
• Lyrics | Amitabh Bhattacharya for the song Kesariya from Brahmastra: Part 1 – Shiva
• Best Debut – Female, Khushali Kumar for Dhoka Around the Corner
• Best Debut – Male, Shantanu Maheshwari for Gangubai Kathiawadi and Babil Khan for Qala

 

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