The 14th Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend, the star-studded annual celebration off Indian shores, the highlight of which is the TATA Motors IIFA AWARDS, officially kicked off today at The Venetian Macao, the Official IIFA Host Destination Partner. The press conference set the momentum for the Weekend seeing huge stars from the Indian film industry including Abhishek Bachchan and Shahid Kapoor declare the IIFA celebrations open.
The Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend this year will showcase film briefings, press conferences, the music and fashion extravaganza, Grey Goose Presents IIFA Rocks, the IIFA Music Workshop and the IIFA Acting Workshop culminating in the finale – the TATA Motors IIFA Awards powered by Lava Mobiles.
The Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend and the Tata Motors IIFA Awards powered by Lava Mobiles will see a congregation of the elite members of the film fraternity from revered veterans to the young, up and coming superstars of tomorrow. The Weekend will also be attended by some of the most influential dignitaries from India and the world over, including world media and fans of Indian Cinema from across the globe.
“The screaming fans, the perfect welcome and love from all involved makes this home. I am looking forward to burning up the stage at the Awards night. I am thrilled to be back in Macau for the IIFAs. IIFA Macau rocks!” said Abhishek Bachchan.
Mr. Arvind Bali, Director & CEO, Videocon Mobile Services says, “With a common mission to showcase the best of Indian ingenuity across the world platform, the coming together of the two stalwarts reinforces the belief of creating a common ground for excellence. Videocon’s positioning as an industry leader is reinforced by this association with IIFA, which projects Videocon’s mission of continuity and change, on a global platform. By successfully synergizing the brand’s strengths and dynamism to the core, this association is geared towards touching the heart of millions of consumers across the world.”
“We are delighted to partner with IIFA in their 14th edition – both Tata Motors and IIFA represent the global Indian making a mark on the world stage. We at Tata Motors are at HORIZONEXT now, passionately committed to anticipating our customers’ needs and providing the best vehicles and experiences that excite our customers globally – quite like the Indian film industry that’s coming of its own with the Indian diaspora as well as cinema-philes everywhere!” said Karl Slym, Managing Director, Tata Motors Limited.
Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft Entertainment International & IIFA spoke at the opening press conference saying, “The Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend and the Tata Motors IIFA Awards powered by Lava Mobiles will celebrate a weekend of Indian cinematic excellence at the Las Vegas of the East-The Venetian-Macao. IIFA continues to serve as a meeting point for the world at large using cinema as a common and universal language for people.”
Hari Om Rai, Chairman & Managing Director – Lava Mobiles said, “We are pleased to partner the IIFAs in its 14th year. At Lava Mobiles we believe in quality and excellence and we are proud to share the same values with a prestigious brand like IIFA that recognizes excellence in Indian Cinema and showcases it to the world.”
Speaking on hosting the TATA MOTORS IIFA Awards for a second time, Shahid Kapoor said, “I’m very excited to be hosting the Awards at The Venetian Macao this year. I had a great time hosting last year and it’s a privilege to do it again, especially with Shahrukh. Macau is a great city and I’m very excited to be here, it’s going to be even more special as we will be celebrating the film industry in its centenary year.”
“The Venetian Macao is extremely pleased to once again host the world-famous IIFA Awards,” said Edward Tracy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sands China Ltd. “This is not just any IIFA Awards show; IIFA is celebrating a colossal 100 years of Indian Cinema, and they have chosen Macau as the venue. We at The Venetian Macao are truly honoured.”
As the 2013 Official IIFA Host Destination Partner, The Venetian Macao is now one of the few destinations to have twice hosted the illustrious IIFA Awards. The Indian market is becoming increasingly important to Macau, with over 100,000 visitors arriving on its shores since 2009 when IIFA first came to town, and growing each year. The Macau Government Tourist Office continues to support the IIFA Awards in Macau in 2013. A special effort will be made to make the 14th IIFA Awards as green as possible. The Venetian Macao’s Green Meeting Concierge team introduced the IIFA committee to the Sands ECO360° Meetings programme, which combines The Venetian Macao’s high-performance facilities and standard sustainable practices with green meeting options, community programmes and much more.
Nachiket Pantvaidya, General Manager, STAR Plus, said, “IIFA is the most prestigious awards platform on Indian television. STAR Plus is delighted to present to its viewers a glamorous event against the mesmerizing background of the Venetian Macao, a place that redefines grandeur and panache.”
Flying the stars to the IIFAs is the Official Airline Partner, Air India. Speaking on the occasion Mr. Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director – Air India said, “Air India, the flying ambassador of India, is proud to join hands with the organizers of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend & Awards 2013 being held in Macau between 4-6July 2013. Air India has associated itself with IIFA in the very first edition of the Awards way back in 2000. Air India continues its flight with IIFA, as the travel partner, for the third consecutive year while IIFA has been showcasing the Indian entertainment industry to the rest of the world through its annual awards.”
In 2013, IIFA embraces the cause of women empowerment and equality in association with TATA TEA. IIFA & TATA TEA aim to create a social awakening among Indian women about the change they can bring with the true power of their vote, women being 49% of the voter base in the country. Emphasizing the significance of their strength in numbers, the campaign has taken on the title ‘The Power of 49’.
Speaking at the occasion, Vikram Grover, Vice President-Marketing for South Asia, Tata Global Beverages Ltd said “It is encouraging to see an overwhelming response from our friends in the film fraternity when we launched our new Tata Tea JaagoRe campaign ‘Power of 49’ in India earlier this week. Indian women constitute almost half of country’s voters base and not many realize the power of this fact, including our politicians. We are pleased to associate with IIFA to be the ‘Cause Partner’ of IIFA 2013 awards given their stature, mass appeal and particularly the fact that they have used this platform for social causes in the past. This is where we felt there is a perfect fit with our Tata Tea JaagoRe campaign which has been in the forefront in “Awakening” Indians to social issues by calling on them to be the change they would like to see. We are glad that IIFA has come forward and embraced this thought and have partnered with us. We hope millions of Indians would do the same.”
Day 1 of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend will also see a press briefing of the upcoming light-hearted comedy, Santa Banta starring Boman Irani, Vir Das, Ram Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Johnny Lever & Lisa Haydon directed by Akashdeep Sabir. The night will end with an exclusive Fashion Night.
Day 2 will see the IIFA Acting Workshop led by internationally renowned veteran actor, Anupam Kher with the aim to decode the craft of acting and motivate the audience to tap into their creative side.
The second day will also see a film briefing of Gulaab Gang with lead actor, Madhuri Dixit, first-time director, Soumik Sen and producers, Anubhav Sinha (Benares Mediaworks) and Mushtaq Sheikh.
The second night will come to a close with the music and fashion extravaganza Grey Goose IIFA Rocks themed to the ‘Magic of the Movies’. The star-studded event will come alive with music, fashion, dance and cinema with performances by Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonu Sood, Sophie Chaudhary, Arjun Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Hussain Kuwajerwala & Gauhar Khan. Funny-men, Boman Irani and Vir Das will host this magical event.
Manish Seth, Director Sales & Marketing, Bacardi India, says “GREY GOOSE vodka has been associated with films, fashion and the world of luxury since its creation. Our continued partnership with the IIFA over the past few years has been an endeavor to strengthen this association, and take the brand’s luxury experience to discerning audiences across the globe. This year IIFA pays homage to 100 years of cinema. GREY GOOSE IIFA Rocks 2013 collaborates with one of the India’s finest designers Shantanu & Nikhil whose exceptional work and contribution in fashion industry and Cinema makes them an ideal fit for this platform.”
The morning session of day 3 consists of an IIFA Workshop on Music titled Music: Bringing Indian Cinema Alive, held for aspiring students, industry professionals and anyone who shares an interest in the music of Indian Cinema. The Music Workshop will see prolific musician Sonu Nigam along with other renowned guests from the music industry throw light on the journey behind the unforgettable songs that set Indian cinema apart from the rest of the world.
On the evening of July 6th, the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend will conclude with the grand celebration of the 14th TATA Motors IIFA Awards presented by Lava Mobiles ceremony, which will showcase the very best Indian cinema has on offer.
The Awards night will see incredible performances by the biggest names in the industry Deepika Padukone who will showcase some of her signature moves from the recent hit songs in her most successful films and one of Bollywood’s most iconic leading ladies, Madhuri Dixit will make her IIFA debut this year with a performance on a medley of her most iconic songs. The awards will also see choreographer-director Prabhudeva perform in a dance-off with Sridevi, Kai Po Che actor – Sushant Singh Rajput, Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Ayushmann Khurrana & Parineeti Chopra.
IIFA 2013 will be held at The Venetian Macao, the Official IIFA Host Destination Partner and is supported by the Macau Government Tourist Office. The Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend is presented by Videocon D2H. The Tata Motors IIFA Awards is presented by Tata Motors. Both the Weekend and the Awards are powered by Lava Mobiles. Tata Tea is the Official IIFA Cause Partner, Air India is the Official Airline Partner and Incredible India is the country partner for the 14th edition of the IIFA celebrations.
IIFA Rocks will be presented by Grey Goose. The TATA Motors IIFA Awards will be broadcast globally on Star Plus, for the 8th year running. Associate Partner of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend is Amway Nutrilite. M.A.C. is the Official Make Up sponsor of the IIFAs.
