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The show begins...
PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT
FILM TIME Jagmohan Mundra (left) Saeed M. Al Nabouda and Pradeep Shrivastava unveil the IIFA logo.
In a completely lack-lustre Idea-International Indian Film Academy event announcement at the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotels and Towers this past week, Provoked was declared to be the film to watch out for. Based on the real life story of a Punjabi woman Kiranjeet Ahluwalia, the film produced and directed by Jagmohan Mundra will be screened at the IIFA Premiere to be held in Dubai from June 14 to 16. Apart from Provoked, which stars Aishwarya Rai, Miranda Richardson, Naveen Andews, Nandita Das, Rebecca Pidgeon and others, the film festival would feature 35 more films. Fourteen out of these are from South India, while 15 Hindi films, one Bengali, one Marathi and one from UAE are also scheduled. The Tamil blockbuster Chandramukhi starring Rajnikant will be the opening film of the film festival. Karan Jauhar's much-awaited Kabhie Alvida Na Kahna and Naseeruddin Shah's Yun Hota to Kya Hota will be screened specially for the media on day two.
The event might have proved to be a damp squib in Delhi since Amitabh Bachchan, IIFA's brand ambassador, who was supposed to address the press conference, backed out because of reported sudden muscular pain during his regular exercises in his gym. Among those who also cried off at the last minute were Nandita Das, A.R. Rahman and Konkona Sen. Only Jugmohan Mundra, Dabas from Wizcraft and Saeed M. Al Nabounda CEO, Dubai Shopping Festival remained to hold the fort. Nonetheless, the Dubai extravaganza sounds inviting. The first day will see the release of a 300-page book called "Light, Camera and Masala" with pictures of Indian film shooting across the globe, taken by Sheena Sippy. The book that has text by Naveen Ramachandran captures shooting scenes from the 1970s till this year. Seminars, discussions on the investment in Indian film sectors would also keep the day buzzing for business professionals there.
Charity show
The second day will see the start of the film festival and IIFA Workshop by the newly built hub for film production, Dubai Studio City. The workshop will have Kabir Bedi and Ashok Amritraj conducting programmes there. An IIFA Foundation Charity Award will organise a fashion extravaganza to help those affected during the course of filming. This two-and-a half hour show, reveals Dabas, "will have Salman Khan, Suhail Khan, Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty and top rank models from across the globe walking the ramp. The tickets for which are priced at 2500 Dirhams. Manish Gujral and Vikram Phadnis have designed the costumes and Rosy Jewellery accessories will design the event. Karan Johar will interview various film stars on their likes and dislikes in fashion for the event." The third day will see the IIFA Awards ceremony. The function will also include two new awards, Idea Glamour of the year and Idea Creative Person of the Year. "The winners will be chosen by SMS messages sent in by the Idea customers and others," states Pradeep Shrivastava, Vice President, Marketing, Idea Cellular.
RANA SIDDIQUI
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