The IIFA weekend & awards

Each year, the IIFA Weekend & Awards enchant the world from an exotic locale. The culture, the colours, the locals, the flavours all become an inseparable part of the magic of IIFA, giving each IIFA Weekend & Awards its own unique experience. 

Over a period of four days, IIFA enchants the host country with press conferences, parties, film premieres, film festivals, business forums, celebrity special events and the glamorous IIFA Awards Ceremony marked by out-of-the-world performances, pomp and pageantry and fans from all over the world.

IIFA AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST ACTOR Abhishek Bachchan: Son of Indian Cinema’s icons, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek made his debut in 2000 in the much acclaimed film, Refugee. Abhishek has to his credit power-packed performances in movies like Dhoom, Yuva, Bluffmaster, Bunty aur Babli, Dus, Sarkar, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna amongst many others. His talent has fetched him numerous accolades including the Best Actor in Supporting role Award for his movies Yuva and Sarkar. In 2007, Abhishek delivered another resounding hit, Guru, adding another feather to his cap. Abhishek is one of the few actors to have received commercial success and critical fame making him one of the leading and most sought after actors in the Indian Film Industry.

Akshay Kumar: One of the commercially most successful actors in today’s time, Akshay has starred in over 80 films.  His action hero image in his earlier days, won him the tag of “Khiladi Kumar”. However Akshay went on to prove his mettle as an actor by dabbling with films of different genres and pulled out comic, romantic and negative roles with equal élan. With a host of Awards and Recognitions in his kitty, Akshay is today is one of the safest bets at the box office, especially after delivering a row of hits including the popular Bhool Bhulaiya. No wonder he is now being referred as “Mr. Dependable”.

Salman Khan:                                 Making his debut in 1998, Salman Khan won the Award for the Best Male Debut for his first commercial success, Maine Pyar Kiya. He went to star in some of the Bollywood’s most successful films and has appeared in the highest earning films of five separate years of his career. In 1999, Salman won the Best Supporting Actor Award in his extended appearance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Comedy being his forte, Salman has delivered cracking performances in many films, including the lastest smash hit Partner. Having starred in several commercial and critically acclaimed films, Salman has established himself as one of the most prominent leading actors of Indian Cinema.

Shahrukh Khan: “King Khan” or “Badshah of Bollywood” are names that appropriately describe India’s leading superstar Shahrukh Khan. Started out his acting career with Television, Shahrukh Khan made his impactful Bollywood debut in 1992. He has, since then, been a part of some of the biggest blockbusters and has won numerous Best Actor Awards. Shahrukh fans are not only restricted to India but his charisma spreads across the globe, making him one of the most popular actors overseas as well. His recent blockbuster, Chak De, won him immense commercial and critical fame. Shahrukh Khan continues to rule the hearts of the millions across the world.

Shahid Kapur: Making his debut in light hearted romance, Ishq Vishq, Shahid instantaneously went on to win the hearts of many. Bollywood’s latest chocolate boy continued his stint with on-screen romance with movies like Vivah, Chup Chup Ke, Dil Maange More amongst others. A trained dancer, Shahid’s latest super hit Jab We Met put him the big league and today is definitely an actor to look out for.

BEST ACTRESS Aishwarya Rai:  This green-blue eyed beauty was the face of advertisements for many prestigious firms, with Garden Sari and Pepsi ones brining to her instant fame. Crowned Miss World in 1994, Aishwarya Rai went on to steal the hearts of many across the globe. Making her debut in a Tamil film, she was introduced to Bollywood in the hit film Aur Pyar Ho Gaya and went on to act in numerous big-budget films post that. She has been rewarded at many instances for her powerful performances in the Best Actress Award. Aishwarya has successfully managed to garner the attention of the West and has appeared in a few Hollywood Projects. Her statute places next to the who’s-who of the world at the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Meuseum makes her a global icon. Her heart-rending performance in the recent flick Guru, has reinforced her position as one of the top most actresses of the Indian Film Industry.

Kareena Kapoor: Known for her style and spunk, Kareena Kapoor is today one of the most famous and highest paid actresses in India. Her rather unconventional debut in Refuge fetched her the Award for the Best Debut Female. Acted in over 25 films, Kareena became the hottest glam youth icon. She however made a conscious effort to break away from the glitzy image and went on to do some more meaningful cinema. Her off beat films like Dev, Chameli, Omakara got her raving reviews from the press. Her recent super hit “Jab We Met” makes her the most sought after actresses in Indian Cinema today.

Deepika Padukone: A super model, Deepika took the modeling world at a young age. The face of numerous Indian brands, Deepika made her mark in the international scene when she was signed on b y Maybeline as their international cover-girl face. In 2006, Deepika made her cinematic debut in a Kannada film, but Bollywood beckoned this charming girl and in 2007 she made her first Bollywood appearance in the blockbuster hit Om Shanti Om, which even won her many recognitions. Deepika has all that it takes to make it big in Bollywood – the looks, the personality and obviously the talent.

Vidya Balan: Began her career starring in many music videos, soap operas and commercials, Vidya made her acting debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko (2003), for which she won critical acclaim. She later made her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), for which she received the Best Female Debut Award, and received her first commercial success came with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). Balan has thus established herself as one of the most promising actresses of the industry.

Tabu : The multi award-winning Indian actress has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and American films,  Tabu is best known for her willingness to play characters in artistic, low-budget films that go on to garner more critical appreciation than they do substantial box office figures such as in Maqbool (2003), Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004) or The Namesake (2007). In the last two decades and more, Tabu has made her mark in Indian Cinema by standing out.

BEST PICTURE GURU : GURU is Directed by Mani Ratnam, who also penned the story and screenplay.Shooting for the film took place in India and  Turkey .The music is composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Gulzar. Cinematography for the film is handled by Rajiv Menon. Guru is reflective of a man's desire for ambition and success, and how times have changed from the period immediately after the country's independence to the present. Some reports have speculated that the film is a biopic on the life of India's biggest petrochemicals tycoon, Dhirubhai Ambani. Guru is inspired by stories both past and present.Guru went on to be  a huge success I both Indian and oversea market.   CHAK DE INDIA: Chak De India is a film which uses the sport of  hockey and the Indian women's national  hockey team as metaphors to explore larger themes relating to sexism, ethnic and regional prejudice, and religious prejudice under the largerer umbrella of Indian nationalism. It also refers to the legacy of partition.The movie is based on the central task of the team's coach to win the (fictional competition), The World Championships which is,an impossible feat. Chak De India was a blockbuster not just in Indian Market but also in International market. JAB WE MET:  ‘Jab We Met’ is a romantic entertainer. The film doesn’t boast of a very unique story. What makes it interesting is the way it has been presented . ‘Jab We Met’ tells the story of two contrasting personalities who develop an affinity while traveling together through the heartland of north India. As the story unfolds  new happens in every reel  kept the audience  glued to the screen. JAB WE MET is one of the finest [romantic] films to come out of Bollywood in 2007. At the box-office, it   worked big time. OM SHANTI OM: Om Shanti Om  is based on reincarnation. The film was shot at various locations in India. 31 Bollywood actors made a  special  appearance in a  song in the film. Om Shanti Om  create a record of sorts by going in for an unheard of 2000 prints (worldwide) release. This is the highest number of prints (including digital) for any Indian movie till date. Om Shanti Om also set a record as it had registered pre advanced booking of 18, 000 tickets in a chain of theatres in national capital Delhi a couple of days before the advance booking was to start. SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment has reportedly sold the world rights for the film to Eros International for an amount between Rs.720-750 million. A book titled, 'The Making of Om Shanti Om' written by Mushtaq Sheikh has been released after the release of the film. The book gives an insight about the production and happenings behind the camera of the film.The film was one of the biggest blockbusters of 2007.  LIFE IN A METRO: Life In A... Metro is, set in Mumbai. The film narrates the individual lives of seven people living in Mumbai, and deals with topics like extra-marital affairs, sanctity of marriage, and love. The narrative of the movie has multiple stories.METRO charters a new path because the multiple stories run concurrently. Also, the characters are, in some way, linked with each other.Life in a Metro was critically acclaimed and did well in metropolitan cities. PARTNER:  Partner  is tells the story of a Love Guru and his follower. The love guru was born to be a love guru. He was born among girls, grew up among girls and now he gives advice and guidance to people about how to woo girls. Partner is a laugh riot.Partner opened to a positive response at the box office the film saw a 90%+ turn-out everywhere including the smaller centres. According to box-office source it is the first blockbuster of Bollywood in the year 2007. It has grossed 62 crores in India, $1.1 million in the U.S.A., and £837k in the U.K.

BEST DIRECTOR ANURAG BASU –LIFE IN A METRO:  Anurag Basu has made films which depict human emotions and are relationship based.He has made successfilms like Gangster,Life in a metro etc.He handles the script of the film wonderfully  to give a very good cinema.   IMTIAZ ALI – JAB WE MET: Imtiaz Ali has acted in critically acclaimed film Black Friday.His first movie as a director ‘Socha Na Tha’ was a romantic comedy.Although the movie did not too well at the box office the chemistry of actors and the direction was widely appreciated.His recent directoral venture ‘Jab We Met’was a huge success at the box office.Imtiaz not only directed the film he also wrote the dialogues and the screenplay of the film.The refreshing treatment given by him to the film has redefined the genre of romance.   MANI RATNAM – GURU:  Mani Ratnam is a respectable and renowned film maker of the Indian Film Industry.Mani Ratnam’s films often features realistic, contemporary themes and complex plots. With a career spanning over two decades, he has garnered high acclaim and has been praised for handling serious issues whilst retaining entertainment values in his films. Family and marital hardships, terrorism, love, class and religious conflict, war, politics, adoption, history and disability are just some of the socio-political issues to have been featured in his films. His movies are generally made in the Tamil language, but are usually also dubbed into other languages like Telugu and Hindi owing to their national appeal. He has also made films in other languages like Hindi, Telugu and Kannada. Mani Ratnam's first film was a Kannada film. His most recent picture, released in 2007, is Guru DAVID DHAWAN – PARTNER: David Dhawan  specialises in directing comedy films . His biggest blockbuster success till date is the 1993 film Aankhen starring Govinda and Chunkey Pandey. He made a mark in the Indian Film industry with his successful Number 1 series like Hero No.1,Coolie No.1,Shadi No.1 etc. He started of as an editor and then took the plunge into direction. He is considered one of the most successful directors in Indian Film Industry. He once had 2 of his movies release on the same date and both did good business.His most recent film Partner, has also proven to be a huge hit at the box office.   PRIYADARSHAN – BHOOL BHULAIYAA:  Priyadarshan is a popular film director from Kerala, India. He has directed numerous popular hit movies in Malayalam in the 1980s and 1990s. In Hindi cinematic circles he is known for making remakes of Malayalam films and other funny Hindi blockbusters like Malaamal Weekly, Bhool Bhulaiya and Bhagam Bhag amongst others.    SHIMIT AMIN-CHAK DE INDIA:  The young, enterprising directors; claim to fame was the Nana Patekar starrer; Ab Tak Chhappan in 2004. In more recent times cinema-goers were wowed by his treatment of  Chak-De India,which went on to redefine Indian Cinema and was a claim more so for the subtlety in which patriotism was showcased.

The Voting Process for the Awards

The IIFA Awards process is a completely transparent system devised by the IIFA Management in conjunction with Price Waterhouse Coopers Pvt. Ltd. Fans all over the world get to vote for their favourites via MSN, thus ensuring everyone gets to choose who walks away with the coveted trophies.

The Award Categories are:
- Popular Awards (for Artistic Excellence), &
- Technical Awards (for Technical Excellence).

The process of deciding the winners is detailed in various stages:

Apply Now.
During this stage, the IIFA Awards application forms are advertised in all the film trade magazines and are available for distribution to film producers. Only film producers can apply and nominate entries for the relevant awards. After receipt of the application forms, the IIFA Management forwards them to the process auditors – PriceWaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd. (PWC), who ensure that the submitted films are eligible for application. 

Voting Weekend.
The nominees are then put to vote before members of the Indian Film Industry at the official IIFA Voting Weekend, which are monitored and managed by PWC. The votes are collated & compiled by PWC who then announce:
- the winners of the Technical Awards, &
- the nominations of the Popular Awards.

Global Internet Voting.
The nominations of the Popular Awards category are put up for public voting via MSN, the world’s most sought-after site.

PWC compiles the votes and arrives at the winners. The results are kept confidential and are declared for the first time when the sealed envelope is opened on-stage before a live television audience during the IIFA Awards presentation ceremony.

The IIFA film festival

As a part of its objective to give international audiences a flavour of Indian Cinema, IIFA introduced the first-ever IIFA Film Festival – A Panorama of Indian Cinema in 2005. Held at the Pathe Tuschinski Art House, Amsterdam, the IIFA film festival showcased some of the best Films of Indian Cinema. Covering myriad genres, the IIFA Film Festival presents a variety that have received popular and critical acclaim across the world.

The IIFA Film Festival aims to showcase the rich tapestry of Indian Cinema to discerning audiences the world over this adding to its countless number of admirers.