IIFA 2017: What to look forward to

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As preparations are under way for the IIFA Awards 2017, happening next week, a few more events have been added to this year’s IIFA Festival including IIFA Stomp, the Shuruaat Gala Dinner and the FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum along with the IIFA Rocks and the actual IIFA Awards.

IIFA Stomp is presented by Myntra and will be held on Thursday, July 13 at Times Square featuring a mix of fashion, music, dance and more with Electronica icon B.R.E.E.D, DJ Nasha, DJ Amann Nagpal and Karsh Kale who will be playing their beats for all the IIFA Fans.

Bollywood Actor Varun Dhawan will also be seen showcasing his DJ talent at IIFA Stomp while brother-sister duo Shraddha and Siddhanth Kapoor will be the show-stoppers for the NEXA collection by Shane and Falguni Peacock, who will also present rising Bollywood star Disha Patani with Actress Dia Mirza and showstopper Tapsee Pannu opening up the Myntra Fashion Show.

While IIFA Stomp will take place, the Shuruaat Gala Dinner, a charity fundraiser organized by IIFA in association with The Global Education and Leadership Foundation (tGELF) will also take place in the evening at The Pierre in New York and will bring together Bollywood’s biggest celebrities with leaders from the worlds of business, philanthropy, media, education and the Arts.

It aims to provide a platform to contribute and raise awareness for Women Empowerment, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation issues and will feature a silent auction in which proceeds for the same shall go to support the work for global education innovation.

The FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum 2017 will be held on the morning of July 14 at the Asia Society Auditorium in New York and is supported by Asia Society and US- India Business Council (USIBC) which aims to be a space for the growth of business between India and the U.S. focusing on the central theme of “India and United States: Partners in Progress for the World”.

The FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum will address the India-US commercial relationship, with panel sessions focusing on the future of India-US Economic Partnership, Defense and Security, Manufacturing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Media & Entertainment.

“The 18th Edition of IIFA Weekend And Awards is going to be one of our biggest ever IIFA Festival to date. We are bringing together the very best in music, fashion, dance extravaganza and celebration of Indian Film and we can’t wait for IIFA to take over the City of New York and America. The multi-faceted nature of IIFA also presents a great opportunity through FICCI- IIFA Global Business Forum, with which we aim to create a business networking platform to further trade & policy relations between India and America,” said Andre Timmins, Director- Wizcraft International, the producers and creator of the IIFA movement.

The IIFA Rocks the IIFA Awards will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on the evenings of July 14 and 15.

This year, IIFA Rocks will feature a concert showcasing A.R. Rahman’s musical journey of 25 years in Bollywood, “the 18th Edition of IIFA in New York is very special to me and I look forward to sharing the IIFA Rocks stage with such talented names in the industry. I am honored to be a part of the IIFA celebrations,” he said.

Along with him Diljit Dosanjh, Hariharan, Kailesh Kher, Mika Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Jonita Gandhi, Neeti Mohan, Javed Ali, Haricharan Seshadri and Kamaal Khan will be performing at the event which will be hosted by Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul.

The IIFA Festival will end on Saturday, July 15 with the NEXA IIFA Awards Powered by VIVO which will showcase electrifying performances by Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Kriti Sanon and Varun Dhawan and will be hosted by Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan.

“I have always been excited for IIFA since my college days, because that’s when my association with IIFA began. From being a back-ground dancer to performing for the audiences as an actor, IIFA has always been very memorable to me. I am very grateful to IIFA for giving me a chance to perform. I doubt I will be performing on my songs, because the films I have done, don’t really have peppy numbers. However I look forward to my performance at the IIFA Festival New York 2017,” said Rajput.

“IIFA is a great platform where everyone from the industry travels globally and celebrates the glory of Indian Cinema. The IIFA Awards has always been held in the most beautiful destinations and this time it’s being held in New York. I am enthusiastically looking forward to my very first performance at the IIFA Festival and my first visit to the City,” said Sanon.

The event will be aired live in India on Colors at 9 a.m. IST with a repeat at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 16 and also in North America, the Caribbean and Canada on Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. EST on cable, satellite and digital Pay Per View via in Demand, Vubiquity, DISH and DIRECTV in the U.S. and Rogers, SHAW, SaskTel and Telus in Canada, for $39.95.

“COLORS is happy to be associating with Wizcraft and IIFA yet again. This year for the first time the show is being held in New York and this is also the first year that we will be telecasting the event LIVE! The team is excited and geared up to make this a spectacular event on television and bring the glitz, glamour and magic of Bollywood a little closer to the viewers,” said Raj Nayak, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18.

The live telecast is distributed exclusively via Integrated Sports Media and will also be available on the Flipps App and website at www.IIFAAwardsppv.com in both the U.S. and Canada.

“It is amazing to see the excitement growing as we move closer to the biggest IIFA ever,” said Viraf Sarkari Director- Wizcraft International, the producers and creators of the IIFA movement.

“For the first time in the ‘Big Apple’, IIFA will be a truly memorable experience for the audience with a mix of music, dance, culture and cinema. Capturing the very best of India with the use of world class production and a lineup of some of the most sought-after Bollywood celebrities, IIFA promises to be a great show at the spectacular MetLife Stadium. We are grateful for all the support and cannot wait for fans to see the Bollywood extravaganza come to life in July,” he added.

“I am delighted that IIFA is coming to New York this year,” added Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, Consul General of India.

“This is an extremely timely initiative and will no doubt help in giving further visibility to Bollywood in this lively cultural capital of the world. Bollywood films speak a universal language which everyone across cultures and languages can relate to. I am sure New York will be dazzled by the glamour, sheer beauty, charm and power of our films and what they stand for,” she added.

In collaboration with New York based Easy Partners, a boutique licensing and merchandising company, IIFA will also be selling its Official Merchandise including T-Shirts, Caps, Key Rings, Hooded Sweatshirts, Tote Bags, Magnet, Ticket Holders stylized with IIFA’s logo and Mugs showcasing IIFA 2017 in New York, online at https://www.jsrdirect.com/webstores/iifa and in person at MetLife Stadium during IIFA Rocks on July 14 and IIFA Awards on July 15.

Fans can buy their tickets for the IIFA Festival in New York at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000 or by clicking the ‘Buy Tickets Tab’ on the official IIFA website at http://www.iifa.com/ as well as at the MetLife Stadium Box Office (Box Office hours: M – F, 11am – 5pm).

For VIP Club Experiences, e-mail us at vipclub@iifa.com. IIFA has a special treat for its fans, “The Double Dhamaka Offer”. Get two shows for the price of one. Buy any IIFA Awards premium seating tickets for Ground Level and Level 100 seats and get free tickets to IIFA Rocks.