#NewsBytesExplainer: Looking at the prestigious IIFA Awards—history, legacy, major categories
The illustrious Bollywood extravaganza, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards are held annually to celebrate the creme-de-le-creme of Indian cinema. The awards are organized outside India and are attended by the who's who of the nation's cinema, mainly Bollywood celebrities, who also perform at the ceremony. How did the awards commence? What is its history? Let's take a closer look at IIFA.
IIFA has been going strong since 2000!
The prestigious awards were established back in 2000 and are produced by leading entertainment conglomerate Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. What sets IIFA apart from other similar award shows is the method of winner selection—here, the audience votes for their favorite artists. Each year, the ceremony is conducted at a foreign location. Some past locations include London, Singapore, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Bangkok.
Big B was the brand ambassador for a long time
Originally planned as a day-long event, the function now spans three days and features several events, activities, games, performances from contemporary actors and veterans, and even comic sequences. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was IIFA's brand ambassador from 2000 to 2011. Actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Karan Johar, Salman Khan, Boman Irani, and Anil Kapoor have hosted the past ceremonies.
These are some of the major award categories
Awards are handed out in multiple categories each year. Some of these are Best Picture, Best Performance in a Leading Role (Male, Female), Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Male, Female), Best Story (Original, Adapted), Best Music Direction, Best Playback Singer (Male, Female), Best Lyrics. Technical awards include Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Special Effects (Visuals), Best Choreography, Best Background Score, Best Screenplay, etc.
Here are the top winners from IIFA 2022
IIFA 2022 was hosted by Salman, Riteish Deshmukh, and Maniesh Paul. Vicky Kaushal bagged the Best Actor (Male) for Sardar Udham while Kriti Sanon clinched the Best Actor (Female) for Mimi. Shershaah won Best Picture and its director Vishnuvardhan bagged the Best Director award. Pankaj Tripathi took home his first IIFA Award for the Best Actor in a Supporting Category (Male) for Ludo.
Ceremony will take place in Abu Dhabi in February
The 23rd edition of the extravagant ceremony will be held in Abu Dhabi in February. This will be the second time in a row that the extravagant event will be staged in the UAE. Recently, IIFA released its list of popular category nominations, and films released in theaters and on OTT in 2022 have been considered. Check out all the major IIFA nominations here.
