The International Indian Film Academy Awards will make its most direct Hollywood crossover yet in 2028, when it plans an English-language IIFA Worldwide edition in Las Vegas, according to IIFA organiser Andre Timmins. The announcement frames the next Abu Dhabi ceremony as a stepping stone rather than a one-off spectacle.
From London to Las Vegas
The first IIFA was held at London’s Millennium Dome in 2000, with around 2,500 invited guests. Timmins told Dainik Bhaskar that Amitabh Bachchan and Miss World Yukta Mookhey led the first press conference, and the guest list stretched from Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar to Shah Rukh Khan, Yash Chopra, Anil Kapoor and international names such as Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Kylie Minogue.
The early lesson was commercial. The second edition moved to Sun City, South Africa, where the Lagaan premiere was timed alongside IIFA after Sony acquired Aamir Khan’s film. That turned the awards into a two-day event and pointed toward the current model of premieres, workshops, festivals, business forums, sponsorship and state support.
What Abu Dhabi will test
The next Abu Dhabi edition will carry the star-led format while adding digital reach. Varun Dhawan, Karan Johar and Maniesh Paul will host the main stage, with Ananya Panday joining as a first-time host. Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and Abhishek Banerjee will front the digital platform.
- Salman Khan will lead what Timmins calls a “multi-star performance,” with other stars still to be locked.
- Janhvi Kapoor will pay a special tribute to her mother, Sridevi.
- Himesh Reshammiya makes his first IIFA performance, on the Digital Awards platform.
Around 150 local students will take part in a masterclass through Friends of IIFA, and Telangana will promote its film city and film institute internationally as a state partner.
The 2028 leap
Timmins said the Las Vegas plan is meant to bring “Indian cinema and Hollywood together on one platform.” He offered possibilities rather than confirmed bookings: Shah Rukh Khan and Kevin Hart hosting, Billie Eilish and A.R. Rahman performing, and Hrithik Roshan with Jennifer Lopez.
The test is whether a Hindi cinema platform can become a two-way global stage without losing the familiarity that made it work. IIFA’s 27-year history suggests the format can expand, but Hollywood will demand a different scale of coordination.
Source: Bhaskar English
Comments