The 17th edition of the Videocon D2H IIFA Weekend and the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco began the festivities yesterday in Madrid, Spain. One of Europe’s busiest cultural centers and the football capital of the world – Madrid has come to be known as “A City with Music in Its Soul” and a “City That Knows How To Live”. 2016 also marks the important milestone of Celebrating 60 Years of India-Spain Diplomatic Relations
The IIFA Celebrations for 2016 were officially kicked off with the Opening Press Conference held at Hotel Westin Palace, which was attended by media, dignitaries and friends of IIFA. Eminent Bollywood Stars like Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sridevi, Boney Kapoor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Boman Irani, Kabir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Bipasha Basu, Huma Qureshi, Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Riteish Deshmukh, Neha Dhupia, Madhavan, Aftab Shivdasani, Sohail Khan, Sajid Nadiadwala, Shriya Saran, Sonu Sood, Jackie Shroff, Richa Chaddha, Frieda Pinto, Lara Dutta and Mahesh Bhupathi are some of the many stars and celebrities participating in the biggest Indian Film Awards show internationally.
Andre Timmins, Director, Wizcraft Entertainment International said, “This is the fourth time that IIFA will travel to Europe and Madrid has proved to be the best destination yet. We have been welcomed with open arms by the city and the very spirit of the city is vibrant and colourful just like the culture in India. This Weekend will see some of the most incredible talent from the Indian Film and music Industry on an international stage and we can whole-heartedly be assured that the 17th edition of the IIFA Celebrations will be as outstanding and remarkable as always.”
The NEXA IIFA AWARDS powered by Le Eco and the Videocon d2h IIFA ROCKS will be broadcast on India’s leading Hindi entertainment channel, Colors Viacom18. Commenting on Viacom18’s network wide partnership with IIFA 2016, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 said “The IIFA Weekend brings together the entire film industry making it one of the most-awaited and most-watched Awards ceremony for audiences across the Indian diaspora spread across almost 100 countries. Indian cinema and our talent have made significant inroads globally and we are delighted to extend the IIFA extravaganza across our network. With Colors being the lead global broadcast partner, this year we embrace the IIFAs across our broadcast channels with Rishtey, Rishtey Cineplex, Colors Infinity and MTV. This year we will also be streaming the IIFAs for our digital audiences on our recently-launched VOD platform, Voot.”
The press conference was followed by a special teaser screening of the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film- Mirzya, which was received very well by stars and the audience alike!
At this was just the beginning of the fabulous 4-day IIFA celebration!
Fans of Indian Cinema can look forward to a string of star-studded events including the IIFA Rocks – a music mega-event held at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid where some of the best artists in the music industry will perform. The FICCI – IIFA Global Business Forum, being organized in association with Camara Spain, – is a platform for international business and networking where global dignitaries and business leaders discuss and connect to create opportunities for India and Spain.. Madrid will also get to experience IIFA Stomp & Rang Jam- a celebration of one of the biggest and most colorful festivals in India – Holi. IIFA will also be an intrinsic feature of the Mulafest this year, Madrid’s annual culture fest that brings together music, art and food all in one place and hosted at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.
Day 2 of the Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend will feature the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, which will focus on urgent environmental issues that affect the global population. With regard to economic and political relationships, the highlight of this year’s Global Business Forum will be innovation and entrepreneurship that are becoming staple features of an evolving society and bringing out tremendous changes across the world in the way that businesses are forming and altering the face of modern trade and industry and state connectivity.
The musical spectacle IIFA Rocks will be hosted by none other than heart throb Fawad Khan alongside renowned Director-Producer Karan Johar with guest host Manish Paul! IIFA Rocks has always been a perennial star studded affair with a mix of fashion and music. This year, the IIFA Rocks stage will include noted music director-composer-singer Pritam, the melodious sounds from Kanika Kapoor with Meet Brothers, Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan among others. National-award winner Monali Thakur with Papon will be serenading the audience and Shilpa Shetty, Ameesha Patel, Mauni Roy, Sooraj Pancholi, Eli Avram and Daisy Shah will be performing as well. Alongside the gamut of musical acts and performances, the distinguished Indian Fashion Designer Vikram Phadnis will be showcasing a breathtaking Fashion Show.
Additionally, another facet of the IIFA extravaganza which is all set to make its way to Madrid, bringing together the best of Spanish and Indian culture is the IIFA Stomp in collaboration with MULAFEST Urban Trends Festival, organized by the MULA community and supported by IFEMA with a line-up that underlines its electronic heart, with pioneering artists from the international scene. The second day of the Weekend will feature a celebration by renowned electronic artists and musicians like Raghu Dixit Project and Midival Punditz featuring Karsh Kale and friends.
Day 3 opens with a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Shilpa Shetty will conduct the IIFA Stomp Yoga Masterclass at IFEMA – Feria de Madrid.
Then the highlight of the Weekend Celebrations – the NEXA IIFA Awards powered by Le Eco, a spectacular and glamorous night which honors and celebrates excellence and deserving work in Indian cinema. Hosted by the multitalented Farhan Akhtar and the versatile actor Shahid Kapoor, the awards ceremony in Madrid will witness awe-inspiring performances by Bollywood’s very own crème de la crème Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Tiger Shroff among others.
Check out these cool pictures from the press conference and see your favorite star!
