~ Star studded weekend to highlight theIIFA Celebrations Singapore in association with Citibank and Your Singapore ~
The 13th year of the VideoconDDB IIFA Weekend and the Jaypee IIFA Awards kicked off today in thecosmopolitan city-state of Singapore. The inaugural press conference flaggedoff the Weekend, announcing the activities lined up for the three days to thecongregated world media. The people of Singapore welcomed the Indian Filmfraternity to the 3- day entertainment extravaganza.
The Videocon DDB IIFAWeekend which reaches its pinnacle with the Jaypee IIFA Awards will play host to thewho’s who of the Indian film industry, the corporate world, dignitaries fromIndia and the region, world media and Indian Cinema fans from across the world.The Videocon DDB IIFA Weekend this year will showcase the various filmbriefings; Shanghai – the IIFA World Premiere presented by PVRPictures;the music and fashion extravaganza, Grey Goose presentsIIFA Rocks,theIIFA Music Workshop culminating in the finale night – the Jaypee Group IIFAAwards 2012.
Mr.Manoj Gaur, Executive Chairman Jaypee Group said, “As a groupthat has been at the forefront of nation building through infrastructuredevelopment for over 5 decades, Jaypee takes immense pleasure in itsassociation with IIFA, which is a world-renowned Indian cinema platform. BothIIFA and Jaypee are engaged in the task of strengthening the Indian nation andsociety, albeit through different means. Both being driven by a commitment topassion and excellence, IIFA and Jaypee are therefore a perfect fit and we lookforward to a long and meaningful association.”
Mr.Pradeep Dhoot, Director – Videocon Group said, “Videocon DDB &IIFA share a common vision to showcase India across the globe. Videocon is ahousehold name and India’s No. 1 brand of Consumer Electronics & HomeAppliances, driven by the philosophy of innovation & customer centricity istrusted by millions of customers to improve their quality of life, through itswide range of products and highly efficient customer service. Videocon isdelighted to be associated with Videocon DDB IIFA Weekend for the fourth yearin a row.”
Mr.Rohit Nandan, IAS, CMD – Air India said, “Air India isproud to be the official travel partner of the 13th IIFA Awards which is alsoknown as the Oscars of Bollywood, scheduled to be held in Singapore during June7th-9th, 2012. Our film industry actors are our cultural ambassadors andwe, the national carrier, do take genuine pride in flying them to the Lion Cityof Singapore. We are also pleased to recall Air India’s first association withIIFA way back in 2000.”
OnDay one, the Naseeruddin Shah-Sonu Sood starrer Maximum will be showcased atthe Raffles City Convention Centre where the stars and director will interactwith the global media.
Thehighlight of the inaugural day is the IIFA World Premiere which is being heldin association with PVR Cinemas. The IIFA World Premiere features DibakerBanerjee’s political-thriller “Shanghai” starring Emraan Hashmi, AbhayDeol, Prosenjit Chatterjee and Kalki Koechlin andwould be held at the Lido Cinema, Orchard Road on the night of 7th June.
Daytwo will see superstar – Dr. Kamal Hassan showcase the first excerpts of hismost-awaited film “Vishwaroop”, on 8th June. The second day of the weekend willalso see Norwegian star, Liv Ullmann showcase her film ‘Liv and Ingmar’. The film that is based on her life withIngmar Bergman. This is the first time an international film will be showcasedat the IIFAs exclusively to the Indian film fraternity.
Thesecond night will have IIFA Rocks presented by Grey Goose. It is a star-studdedevent complete with music, fashion, dance and cinema. Grey Goose presentsIIFA Rocks brings to the ramp a night of glamour, glitz and entertainment – acoming together of the best in Indian fashion and music! The show will seeperformances by Vishal and Shekhar, Leslie Lewis, Usha Uthup, Hariharan andMika. Film stars who will be show stoppers for their favorite designers areNargis Fakhri, Dia Mirza, Aditi Rao Hydari, Bipasha Basu, Zoa Morani. Theevening will be hosted by the charismatic duo of Ayushman Khurana andChitrangada Singh.
Theoriginal, “IIFA Gitterati by Masaba”, is being showcased at IIFARocks! Created by the nouveau designer, it is a chic fusion wear line withstrong Indian elements – the colour palette and imagery of the collection isinspired by the IIFA logo and brand world. Grey Goose’s association with fameddesigner Varun Bahl, showcases his collection that has been inspired by theworld of Grey Goose.
Gemfieldsin partnership with Gitanjali, will be unveiling Envi by Gitanjali whileshowcasing “The Eternal Lightness of Being’ by Suneet Verma”. Enviis an exquisite collection of high-end jewelry studded with emeralds, exuding aregal charm and allure. The lines will be showcased along withelectrifying performances by Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra who will performsongs from their film Teri Meri Kahaani, Neha Dhupia andGauhar Khan.
Daythree will see Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s much-anticipated sports film ‘Ferrari KiSawari’ with Sharmaan Joshi in a lead role for the first time along with actorsBoman Irani and Ritwik Sahore.
Othermajor films to be introduced through the weekend are Shahid- Priyanka starrer‘Teri Meri Kahani’, Sridevi’s comeback film ‘English Vinglish’, Preity Zinta’s‘Ishq in Paris’.
The Videocon IIFA Weekend will conclude with the grand celebration of the 13th Jaypee IIFA Awards ceremony, which will showcasethe best that the Indian Film Fraternity has to offer. The Awards night willwitness an action-packed show with performances by Shahid Kapoor, RanbirKapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Prabhu Deva, Farhan Akhtar and SonakshiSinha. Actor-Choreographer-Director Prabhu Deva will choreograph theperformances for the first time. Shahid Kapoor will host hisfirst Jaypee IIFA Awards, along with co- host Actor-Director FarhanAkthar. Both ‘Friends of IIFA’, Shahid is known for his boy-next-door goodlooks and natural flair for acting while Farhan is known for his uber-coolpersona and wit. The chemistry between the two actors will be magical and theIIFAs are going to don a fresh new look this year.
Asin previous years, IIFA will welcome the film industry to its signature GreenCarpet to campaign for a greener planet. With the support of the film stars,IIFA will continue to share ideas about small steps that everyone can implementin their daily lives in order to become planet savers. Panasonic which hasbuilt its entire business on eco friendly technology has partnered IIFA in thiseffort.
Mr.Manish Sharma, Director – Marketing, Panasonic India said, “It hasbeen a pleasure to be associated with the IIFA Awards, which has continuouslyrecognized excellence in Indian Cinema. Panasonic with the corporate vision tobe the No.1 Green Innovation Company worldwide in the electronics industry by2018 is excited to support the cause for the 4th consecutive year now.Being the environment conscious brand we choose to further facilitate our focusof protecting the environment through the platform. IIFA Awards ‘Go Green’theme provides the perfect space for endorsement of eco-friendly products andwe are delighted to be part of the ‘Go Green’ mission this year.”
Mr.Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft Entertainment International said, “The IIFAs havereturned to Singapore for the second time, we are back to recreate the magicafter the successful celebration we had in 2004. This weekend, we will showcasethe cultural abundance and impeccable cinematic talent of Indian Cinema on aglobal dais. We are excited and confident that this year too will be grand,spectacular and memorable. As always, we stand committed to our objective ofbuilding a bond with our host countries that further translates into businessopportunities.”
Mr. NitinVaidya, Business Head, Hindi Channels, STAR India said, “For years, STAR Plus andIIFA have showcased Indian cinema across the global stage. It is with greatpride that we announce bringing the Awards to Singapore. There’s a genuineappreciation and huge following for Indian cinema in Singapore and this iscomplemented by the large Indian-origin population in the city state. We lookforward to another magnificent event this year with IIFA 2012.”
Thisyear in a breakthrough connect-with-the-world approach, under the banner IIFALIVE, several events including the IIFA Music Workshop, Green carpet events andinterviews will be showcased live on HostGator.in which is hosting the iifawebsite.
Theentire film industry will congregate at the 13th IIFA Celebrations inSingapore from the 7th to the 9th of June. In 2012, forthe fourth year in succession, Videocon DDB will present the Videocon DDB IIFAWeekend and the Jaypee Group will present the Jaypee IIFA Awards.
Theprestigious night of nights, the Jaypee IIFA Awards will be broadcast globallyon Star Plus, for the 7th year running, while it will broadcast onMediacorp’s Vasantham channel in Singapore. The 13th Videocon DDB IIFA Weekendand Jaypee IIFA Awards is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).Panasonic with its Eco Ideas initiative will continue to partner the IIFAs forits greening initiatives. Incredible India’s partnership will focus on exposingtourism opportunities that the country has to offer. Air India will partnerwith IIFA as the Official Airline Partner.
PVRPictures is the associate sponsor of the IIFA World Premiere and Grey Goose isthe presenting sponsor of IIFA Rocks. Air India will partner with IIFA as theOfficial Airline Partner. The Gitanjali Group and Gemfields, HostGator.in areAssociate Sponsors of the Videocon IIFA Weekend. The IIFA Celebrations arebeing held in Singapore in association with Citibank, the Fairmont Singaporeand the Swissotel-The Stamford.
