BARFI LEADS WITH 13 NOMINATIONS FOR THE IIFA AWARDS

BARFI LEADS WITH 13 NOMINATIONS FOR THE IIFA AWARDS

 Vicky Donor, Gangs Of Wasseypur and Agneepath score major nominations

The votes are in for the 14^th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards after the IIFA Voting Weekend held in March. The nominations reflect the diverse and thriving landscape of the Indian Film Industry today, showcasing 2012 as an eventful year for Bollywood with more than 155 new releases, receiving global acclaim.

Taking the lead with an impressive total of 13 nominations is Anurag Basu’s Barfi, followed by Shoojit Sircar’s comedic masterpiece Vicky Donor that has garnered 9 nominations. Following closely is Gangs of Wasseypur 1 and the action-packed Agneepath. Films like Cocktail, Kahaani, Paan Singh Tomar and the Yash Chopra directed Jab Tak Hai Jaan have also secured themselves a place in the 14^th IIFA nominations.

This year’s award will have Directors, Anurag Basu (Barfi), Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur-1), Sujoy Ghosh (Kahaani), Tigmanshu Dhulia (Paan Singh Tomar) and Shoojit Sircar (Vicky Donor) vie for the Best Director category.

Hrithik Roshan (Agneepath), Ranbir Kapoor (Barfi!), Manoj Bajpayee (Gangs of Wasseypur-1), Shahrukh Khan (Jab Tak Hai Jaan), Irrfan Khan (Paan Singh Tomar), and Ayushmaan Khurrana (Vicky Donor) are all contenders for the prized IIFA Award for Performance in a Leading Role (Male). Performance in a Leading Role (Female) will see leading ladies, Priyanka Chopra (Barfi!), Deepika Padukone (Cocktail), Sridevi (English Vinglish), Huma Qureshi (Gangs of Wasseypur-1), Kareena Kapoor (Heroine) and Vidya Balan (Kahaani) battle it out.

Pritam has bagged 2 nominations in the category for Best Music Direction for his work in the films, Barfi! and Cocktail along with A.R. Rahman (Jab Tak Hai Jaan), Ajay-Atul (Agneepath) and Sneha Khanwalkar (Gangs of Wasseypur-1). Best Playback Singer Male will see Mika Singh for ‘Pungi’ (Agent Vinod), Sonu Nigam for ‘Anhi Mujh Mein Kahi’ (Agneepath), Ajay Gogavale for ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’ (Agneepath), Mohit Chauhan for ‘Main Kya Karoon’ and ‘Aashiyan’ (Barfi!) and Ayushmann Khurrana for ‘Paani Da Rang’ (Vicky Donor) vie for an IIFA.

In the female category for Best Playback Singer Female, Shreya Ghoshal has earned herself two nominations for the songs ‘Chikni Chameli’ (Agneepath) and ‘Ashiyan’ (Barfi!),  along with Rekha Bhardwaj for ‘Phir Le Aya Dil’ (Barfi!), Kavita Seth for ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ (Cocktail) and Shalmali Kholgade for ‘Pareshan’ (Ishqzaade).

Sabbas Joseph, Director – Wizcraft International Entertainment & IIFA said, “It’s been a phenomenal year for the Indian Film Industry and the nominations for this year will definitely reflect this. The growth has been remarkable. 2013 will witness the 14^th year of the IIFA celebrations, honouring the best of the year gone by.”

The results of the IIFA Voting Weekend were audited by the internationally renowned KPMG.  The online voting for the Awards will go live on www.iifa.com and will be open to audiences of Indian Cinema across the world from May 1^st 2013.

About IIFA

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy. Also, the IIFA Awards is India’s biggest media event. With a viewership of almost 600 million, it is among the world’s most-watched annual entertainment events.

From a one night celebration in 2000 at the Millennium Dome, London, the last thirteen years have seen the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) movement grow into a cine-packed weekend of film-festivals, workshops, exhibitions, film-showcases, global business forums and sporting events, all of which climax into the highlight of the Weekend, the IIFA Awards.