Dil Dhadakne Do to screen at IIFA awards

The 16th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, one of Bollywood's biggest annual events, will open on June 5 with a gala screening of Zoya Akhtar's forthcoming film Dil Dhadakne Do (DDD).

The three-day festival, which goes to a different international venue each year, will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this year.

DDD cast members Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar and Ranvir Singh are tipped to attend the event alongside a host of other Hindi-cinema celebrities including actors Ayushmann Khurrana, Dia Mirza, Sridevi, Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Sonakshi Sinha; producer Boney Kapoor, musicians Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy; and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan at the ceremony, one of the highlights on Bollywood's calendar.

The 2015 edition returns to Malaysia after 13 years, said Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizcraft International Entertainment, organisers of IIFA. Last year, the awards were held in Tampa Bay, Florida.

The line-up of stars scheduled to perform will be announced over the next few weeks.

The 16th edition of IIFA runs from June 5-7. DDD opens in the UAE on Thursday, June 4.

ciyer@thenational.ae