B-town comes to Colombo

Ruwini Jayawardana

Colombo will be a hub of glamour and activity in June as top Bollywood stars in the caliber of Hrithik Roshan,Celina Jaitley, Vivek Oberoi, Amrita Rao and Dia Mirza have expressed their wishes to visit the isle for the 11th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards organized by Sri Lanka Tourism and the International Indian Film Academy.

The Bachchans: Big B, wife Jaya, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya will delight us at the event which promises to bring the best of Bollywood talent to the stage.

The announcement was made at a glittering function which was lead by none other than the icon of Bollywood cinema, Amitabh Bachchan. The Indian artiste visited Sri Lanka recently to fulfill his duty as the IIFA Brand Ambassador

Dubbed as the ‘Bollywood Oscars’, the IIFA Awards originated in London in 2000. The awards ceremony then shifted to places like Macau, Johannesburg and Amsterdam in the past years. It was always held away from beyond the boundaries of India annually with the aim of taking popularizing Bollywood movies among the international audience. The event will be attended by 500 guests and watched by 600 million TV viewers in 110 countries across the globe.

“All these sites have become favourite sites for shooting Hindi films and attracting tourists. Out of around 1 000 movies that are released out of India’s production houses nearly half are shot abroad. IIFA not only focuses on films, it is also about business networking and cross-cultural exchange,” Big B said while adding that the IIFA is similar to a combination of Cannes and the Oscars.

He also noted that the potential to film in Sri Lanka is untapped and is most likely to change after the IIFA.

“It will open doors to exchange of technology and interaction with some of public’s favourite stars,” he added.

Another aspect of the gala event is that it will take the country by storm exactly a year after terrorism was eliminated from Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lanka may be called a small country but it is a country with a big heart. I admire the manner in which Sri Lankans try to integrate harmony and peace among its ethnic and cultural groups in the country. It sets a wonderful example to the world and I would certainly encourage many others to visit the country and explore what it has to offer to them,” he said.

Sri Lankan born Hindi film actress Jacqueline Fernandez was also present at the event. Debuting along side Big B, Sanjay Dutt and Ritesh Deshmukh in Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladin Jackie is already making waves in B-town for her movie performances. Her second film Jaane Kaha Se Aayi Hai was released recently and she even did an item number for Sajid Khan’s Housefull.

“She was the example of how a temperament of a film set needs to be. She mingled with everyone and always had a cheerful smile on her lips,” Bachchan opined his views on Jackie adding that she embodies worthy cultural traits which she had inherited from her motherland.

[Amitabh Bachchan]

He is one of the most prominent figures in Indian cinema history and had won some major awards including nine Lifetime Achievement Awards. Movies like Namak Haraam, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Adalat, Abhimaan, Don, Dostana, Mohabbatein, Black and Paa shot him to fame.

[Jaya Bachchan]

Born Jaya Bhaduri she is married to Big B and their son Abhisek is also an actor. Her most significant films are Jawani Diwani, Koshish, Anamika, Piya Ka Ghar, Bawarchi, Zanjeer, Abhimaan, Chupke Chupke, Sholay and more recent projects like Fiza,Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Laaga Chunari Mein Daag.

[ Abhishek Bachchan]

Son of Amitabh and Jaya he married actress Aishwarya Rai. Debuting with J.P. Dutta’s Refugee he then portrayed some memorable roles in Dhoom, Yuva,Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar Raj and Guru.

[Aishwarya Rai]

The former Miss World 1994 had acted in Hindi, English, Tamil and Bengali movies including international productions like Bride & Prejudice, The Mistress of Spices, The Last Legion and The Pink Panther 2. She won praise for her performances in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Dhoom 2, Guru and Jodhaa Akbar.

[Amrita Rao]

The petite model turned actress is best known for her performances in Main Hoon Na, Ishq Vishk, Victory and Vivah.

[Hrithik Roshan]

Son of director Rakesh Roshan Hrithik made a stunning debut in a lead role in his father’s production Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai in 2000. he follwoed this up with noteworthy performances like Koi... Mil Gaya, Krrish, Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar.

[Dia Mirza]

Nicknamed Dee, Mirza made her cinematic debut with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein opposite R. Madhavan. She lated acted some emorable roles in Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Parineeta, Lage Raho Munna Bhai and Krazzy 4.

[Vivek Oberoi]

He is the son of actor Suresh Oberoi. His big break came with Ram Gopal Varma’s gangster flick, Company in 2002. Snce then he had acted in films like Saathiya, Omkara, Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak and Shootout at Lokhandwala.

[Celina Jaitley]

The Femina Miss India Universe 2001 made her film debut in Feroz Khan’s Janasheen. She also portrayed some memorable roles in No Entry, Heyy Babyy and Golmaal Returns.

Jaitley is slated to play the character of a Persian princess in the film Quest of Scheherezade along with actors Sean Connery and Orlando Bloom. The film is based on Arabian Nights and will be directed by Ken Khan.