| Wizcraft, the entertainment company that manages the International Indian Film Academy Awards, is having a tough time getting A-list stars to put in an appearance at the ceremony in Yorkshire (England) next month.
The word around B-Town is that it is because of Amitabh Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador of the awards.
One actor who is definitely not attending is Shah Rukh Khan, even though he is immensely popular with the English population.
Says SRK, "I'm not going because the function is always fixed during my kids' holidays.
It's extremely difficult to take three days out for the event."
'B'ware
According to an industry source, it's not a co-incidence that SRK will be absent this year. "The last time Shah Rukh attended IIFA was in Amsterdam in 2005.
He skipped the event in Dubai the year later, and officially it was said he was holidaying with his family in London.
But the real reason was the cold war between him and Amitabh Bachchan.
Karan Johar had to organise two music release functions for Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in London and at IIFA in Dubai to appease both SRK and Bachchan," says the source.
As for the real reason why SRK will be skipping the event in Yorkshire, the source says, "SRK was royally snubbed when he wasn't invited to the AbhiAsh wedding. Also, Amitabh, Abhishek and Ash will be present as the Bachchan family brand, thus stealing the limelight from other stars. It's no wonder then that they are wary of attending."
'Shaadi' affair
Andre Simmons of Wizcraft is reportedly worried that Khan's non-attendance will hamper ticket sales, as shindigs like IIFA are sold on the strength of stars performers and attendees.
Adds the source, "Salman Khan too is in two minds over attending the show. He and SRK had decided to boycott the event as they were upset about not being invited to the wedding. But now, Salman might perform with Govinda, though he hasn't confirmed anything yet."
When we ask Govinda, he says, "I have not been informed about this, but it would be great if Salman and I could perform together."
Rakesh Roshan confirms that he will be attending along with Hrithik, but the star son won't perform.
Name dropping
However, Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft puts on a brave front. He says, "The attendance is pretty good this year. Some stars might be missing and some are still to confirm, but we have a good line-up of international celebrities too.
Colin Firth, and Sienna Miller are some of the international names who will be there.
There will also be a charity cricket match between Yorkshire XI and IIFA XI, which will have names like Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Rakeysh Mehra, Emraan Hashmi, Abhishek Bachchan and others."
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