SRK COMING TO IIFA!

• Email
• Print
• Rss

• Article

The King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, is coming to Toronto for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards later this month.

The 45-year-old actor, producer and TV host headlines a who's-who of Indian cinema slated for the 12th annual awards being staged for the first time in North America.

Other A-list attendees include IIFA ambassadors Anil Kapoor and Preity Zinta, who were here for the event announcement in January, and leading man Saif Ali Khan, who will also host the IIFA Rocks fashion show at Ricoh Coliseum on June 24.

Shah Rukh Khan is up for Best Performance in a Leading Role (Male) for the top hit My Name is Khan, which is nominated in seven categories, including Best Film and Best Screenplay.

Based on a true story, My Name Is Khan is about the racial profiling of Muslims after 9/11. Khan stars as an autistic Muslim man who sets out on a journey across America, on a mission to meet the country's president and clear his name.

During a promotional visit to the U.S. for the film in 2009, Khan, Bollywood's highest-paid star, complained that he was detained by Newark airport immigration officials because his name came up on a terrorist watch list.

My Name Is Khan is reportedly the highest-grossing Indian film of all time in the overseas market, but will have stiff competition at the June 25 Rogers Centre awards gala where Once Upon a Time in Mumbai and Dabangg lead the field with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively.

Other confirmed IIFA nominees, include, actors Ranbir Kapoor, who is up for Best Performance in a Leading Role (Raajneeti), and Arshad Warsi, who is vying for Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Ishqiya).

Actor Ritesh Deshmukh, who is nominated for Performance in a Comic Role (Houseful), will reprise his role as co-host of the awards with Boman Irani. He will also walk the environmentally friendly green carpet at the world premiere of Double Dhamal at Silvercity Brampton on June 23, with co-stars Kangana Ranaut, Mallika Sherawat and Arshad Warsi.

Other confirmed IIFA attendees include Fardeen Kahn, Malaika Arora Khan, Esha Deol, Dia Mirza, Arbaaz Khan, Neha Dhupia, Boman Irani, Rishi Kapoor, Zayed Khan, Madhavan, Ranveer Singh, Zeenat Aman, Neetu Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore and Shatrrughan Sinha.

Performers at the sold-out awards include Bobby and Sunny Deol performing live for the first time with their father Dharmendra, and Priyanka Chopra.