Salman, Katrina & Alia Unveil a Teaser to the Extravaganza of IIFA

Houston Media and other attendees with Rajender Singh of Star Promotions. Photos: Meedu fotografy

Houston Media and other attendees with Rajender Singh of Star Promotions. Photos: Meedu fotografy

By Vanshika Vipin Varma

HOUSTON: The heat is on! For the biggest night of the year is around the corner. The star-studded spectacle that boasts of hosting the biggest names in Bollywood, the awe-inspiring and majestic International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is all set to mesmerize the Indian film industry and Bollywood buffs. This 18th edition of the extravaganza is to be held in New York from July 13-15.

From left: Alia Bhatt, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif at IIFA 2017 Press Conference at Mumbai, Right: Rajender Singh of Star Promotions (Houston)

From left: Alia Bhatt, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif at IIFA 2017 Press Conference at Mumbai, Right: Rajender Singh of Star Promotions (Houston)

The IIFA fever is known to grip the world much before it is hosted. The IIFA press conference was held on June 1, in Mumbai, and epitomizing IIFA’s plan to construct connects crosswise over silver screens, organizations, groups, and countries, a live video press conference was held in Houston, Chicago and New York. The Houston press conference was organized by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and Star Promotions. The live video conference was held from 9.30 am at East West International, Houston, and joining this conference were the mega stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and the bubbly Alia Bhatt. The video conference at Houston started an hour after the Mumbai conference ended, and the Houston media were anxiously waiting to speak to these stars. The terrific trio had a live and a friendly interaction with the Houston media.

Salman, who looked dapper in a black suit commented, “It always feels great to be a part of the IIFA movement and I look forward to the 2017 IIFA Awards”. The absolutely gorgeous Katrina who was dressed in a short bodycon dress with a plunging neckline said, “I’m really excited and looking forward to performing at the IIFA Awards this year. It is such a great platform that not only showcases the celebration of cinema globally, but also it’s a great opportunity for us to reach out to our fans worldwide. I am excited that this year, it is happening in one of my favorite cities – New York!”. The adorable Alia, who is to debut with this year’s IIFA, was dressed in a cream and olive green colored outfit, and she went on to mention, “I am very excited to be a part of IIFA 2017, as this is going to be my debut at the IIFA Festival after 5 years in the industry. I am super excited that IIFA is being held in the beautiful city of New York. IIFA is all about togetherness and the celebration of the Indian cinema globally and I eagerly look forward to this celebration”. Also, speaking at the press conference in Mumbai were R. S Kalsi, Executive Director, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki, Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India, Raj Nayak, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom18, and Pankaj Srivastava, Air India’s Commercial Director.

Video Press Conference with Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.

Video Press Conference with Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt.

Rajender Singh of Star Promotions, a notable bigwig amongst the Bollywood fraternity and a household name in Houston was the backbone for this event. Rajender has been instrumental in bringing many International shows in the past 20 years to cities across North America. Having established successful events and concerts, Rajender has garnered an esteemed reputation within the entertainment industry and won the respect of friends, fans, business associates and industry legends. Over the past few years, he has represented Houston at the IIFA. Last year too, Rajender represented the IIFA at Madrid, welcoming Bollywood biggies who walked through the green carpet.

The celebrity studded IIFA Rocks 2017 will celebrate 25 years of A. R. Rahman in the industry and is set to feature a never-before-seen medley of musicians that includes A. R. Rahman, Diljit Dosanjh, Benny Dayal, Javed Ali, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi and Haricharan Seshadri. IIFA Rocks will be hosted by the funny two-some, the inimitable Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul. The IIFA Awards will witness power-packed performances by Bollywood megastars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Kriti Sanon among others. To make this flashy ceremony even more exciting, it will be hosted by the very talented Karan Johar.

IIFA continues on its journey of celebrating Indian Cinema across the world. This year’s event is eagerly awaited and anticipated by fans around the world as they present the opportunity of a lifetime for guests to witness an action-packed weekend showcasing the best of Bollywood. The premiere edition in New York promises to be a mélange of glitz and glamour, extravagant productions with splendidly choreographed performances. IIFA promises to be a great show at the spectacular MetLife Stadium.

For IIFA tickets, contact Rajender Singh at 281-222- 4500. And stay tuned for more updates and spicy bytes on IIFA by logging on to www.iifa.com