BHOPAL: It’s official now. The next edition of the prestigious International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards will be held in Madhya Pradesh next month.
The final dates of the glamorous event were announced at a glittering event at Bhopal’s Minto Hall on Monday evening which saw Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez share the stage with the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath.
While the main IIFA Awards three-day events will be held in Indore from March 27 to March 29, an equally glitzy pre-event will be organized at Bhopal’s Minto Hall on March 21.
Hosting the main show in Indore will be none other, but Bollywood star Salman Khan who was born in Indore.
Addressing the gathering at the Minto Hall in Bhopal on Monday, Salman Khan said he felt proud about his family’s connection with Madhya Pradesh, particularly Indore. “I’m 100% from Madhya Pradesh and Indore,” responded Khan, when the MP CM Kamal Nath requested him to spend more time for MP and not just be busy in Mumbai.
Khan also recounted about his childhood days with siblings in Indore as well as his associations with Bhopal and Gwalior. Importantly, both Salman and his brother Arbaaz had studied at the Scindia School in Gwalior for a few years during childhood days.
Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath thanked the IIFA Awards team for choosing Madhya Pradesh for the first time to host the prestigious awards event. “India’s unique strength is unity in diversity, but MP is that state which is inherent with more diversity in all parts, be it culture or cuisine. The rich forests and wildlife and diverse culture makes our state very unique,” said Nath.
Importantly, the Kamal Nath-led Congress government has been focusing on harnessing the boundless tourist potential of the state and the IIFA Awards happening for the first time in MP is being seen as a major step in promoting Brand MP across the globe.