The much awaited 15th IIFA Celebrations have kick started in Tampa Bay, Florida and day 2 of the Videocon DDB IIFA Weekend saw a day full of Bollycool events. Anupam Kher premiereed his short film I WENT SHOPPING FOR ROBERT DE NIRO and said about the movie, “I went shopping for Robert De Niro’ is a tribute to the greatest actor alive.” He also held an acting workshop with many memeber of the audienece takeing part. Anil Kapoor Inagurated the IIFA Expo which showcases businesses from India and US. The focus areas are property, wellness and tranquility, jewelry, banking, tourism, bridal wear, clothing, handicrafts and artifacts.
They also held a press conference that saw Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha, Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwon and Anil Kapoor take the stage. One of the highlights had to be Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Commissioner Al Higginbotham dance to Do Da Tampa with the stars on stage.
The big event of th enight was Myntra.com IIFA Rocks. Dedicated to the best of fashion and music, the event was held at the Tampa Convention Centre. The evening witnessed leading avant garde fashion extravaganza by leading designers as some of Bollywood’s beauties walked the ramp for them. A host of musicians came together to be part of the gala event.
Packed to capacity, the stunning Tampa Convention Centre provided an elaborate setting for the evening. Hosted by Gauhar Khan and Vivek Oberoi, the fashion segment opened with a show by Manish Malhotra in association with Mijwan Welfare Trust. Sonakshi Sinha and Anil Kapoor walked the ramp as showstoppers. American Indian designer Amita Bal followed with Miss America 2014 Nina Dalvur as the showstopper. The segment closed with a special IIFA Collection by Vikram Phadnis for Vishal Fashions. Called ‘Nazakat’, the collection was inspired by femininity with Malaika Arora Khan and Yami Gautam as showstoppers.
Special personalities from Tampa Bay also strut the ramp in gorgeous Indian attire. They included Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel; Mr. Santiago Corrada, CEO & President, Visit Tampa Bay; Donna Lancaster, an advocate for victims of human trafficking; Manish Khardo, a volunteer tutor for junior and high school students; Antonio DeSousa, a hospitality employee at the downtown Hilton; Linda Hess, a community advocate; Jim Morgan, who works with non-profits; Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy – Steve Donaldson, creator of Officers for the Homeless; Mary Myles, a mental health care advocate; and Naren Rama Krishna, who started a program in India to help girls with their education.
IIFA Rocks also witnessed performances by Monali Thakur, Bhoomi Trivedi & Ankit Tiwari and Ravi Drums. The evening concluded with a soulful performance by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Bollywood stars pulled out all the stops on the carpet, where they were greeted by frenzied fans. The ‘Green Carpet’ at IIFA Rocks! saw stunning beauties – Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Sonakshi Sinha, Gauhar Khan, Nirmit Kaur, Aditi Rao Hydari, Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Ritesh Deshmukh, Tushar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani and Vivek Oberoi among many others.
Check out these pictures!
Anupam Kher
IIFA Press Conference and Dance
IIFA Rocks Rehearsal
IIFA Rocks Green Carpet teaser
Plus bonus
The Sights of the IIFA Rocks Show
Phewww!! Amazing na? Coming up tonight is IIFA Magic at the movies! Watch this space!
Some of the key partners of the IIFA US celebrations are: Videocon d2h, Tata Motors, Freedom Health Insurance, Lava Mobile, Visit Tampa Bay Visitors and Convention Bureau, Visit Florida, Enterprise Florida, Hillsborough County Florida, Tampa Bay Trade and Protocol Council, Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Commission, Jammu & Kashmir Tourism, Arise, Vishal Fashions, UST Global, Myntra.com, FedEx, LT Foods – Daawat and Royal, Bishwa Bandhan for Cerebral Palsy, Ambuja Neotia Group. Other support partners include Mosaic, Patina Solutions and Tampa Steel Erecting Company, Tampa International Airport, Port Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay Business Journal and Tampa Bay Times.
