Filipino designer Michael Cinco dominates on IIFA Awards green carpet


Selina Denman
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The two-day International Indian Film Academy Awards in Abu Dhabi drew to a close on Saturday night, with some of Bollywood’s biggest names taking to the green carpet for the event’s finale.

Filipino designer Michael Cinco, who lives in Dubai, served up some of the night’s most dramatic looks, including a gown worn by Kriti Sanon, who went on to pick up the best actress award. Her mermaid dress featured a bejewelled bodice, mesh panelling on the sides and a ruffled neon yellow fishtail train.

Cinco also created a hand-printed green couture ball gown for actress Nargis Fakhri, with bejewelled straps, while Divya Khosla Kumar wore a white Cinco couture gown with an embroidered corseted bodice and asymmetric ruffled skirt. Actress Urvashi Rautela wore an embellished dress with low neckline and draping sleeves, also by Cinco.

“FYI, this dress glows in the dark,” Fakhri wrote on her Instagram stories, while also showing Cinco and his team behind the scenes painstakingly assembling her gown.

Nargis Fakhri in her glow-in-the dark Michael Cinco gown. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Nargis Fakhri in her glow-in-the dark Michael Cinco gown. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Indian designers also made a strong appearance on the IIFA Awards green carpet. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took to the green carpet with her husband Abhishek Amitabh Bachchan wearing a Rohit Bal outfit with floral accents. Actor Ananya Panday wore a sequinned ivory sari by Manish Malhotra. She posted an image of her look on Instagram before making her way to the green carpet, with the caption: “My first sari moment and it has to be in my fave, Manish Malhotra.”

Ananya Panday arrives on the green carpet at the IIFA Awards 2022 at Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Ananya Panday arrives on the green carpet at the IIFA Awards 2022 at Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Actress Tamannaah, meanwhile, opted for a fitted, pale pink, sequinned dress by Mumbai designer Amit Aggarwal. Amruta Khanvilkar wore a striking black and white mermaid gown by Alpana Neeraj. Sharvari wore a gown by Delhi’s Abhishek Sharma Studio to pick up her award for Best Debut Female, while popular South Indian actress Priyamani wore a traditional sari by Sacred Weavers.

Sara Ali Khan wore a heavily embroidered, pearl-encrusted peplum top with covered buttons, paired with kick-flare, lace-bottomed trousers by Pakistani designer Faraz Manan. And singer Zahra Khan wore a pale pink gown with a sweetheart neckline and oversized bow detailing at the waist, by Lebanese designer Ziad Germanos.

Bollywood’s male stars also did not disappoint in the style stakes. Indian actor Shahid Kapoor sported a touch of sparkle on his black evening jacket, while actor Vishal Kotian donned a red tuxedo. Vicky Kaushal donned traditional black tie, while Suniel Shetty opted for a lower-key approach, pairing his grey suit with white trainers.

The IIFA Awards celebrate the best of Bollywood films from the past year, but this year focused on films from the past two years, as the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 owing to the pandemic.

Top stars of the Hindi film industry, including Shahid Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, attended the two-day event in the capital, which kicked off with Friday's IIFA Rocks.

Hosted by director Farah Khan Kunder and actor Aparshakti Khurana, the event featured performances by popular singers including Yo Yo Honey Singh, Guru Randhawa, Neha Kakkar and Dhvani Bhanushali.

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
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It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.

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Updated: June 06, 2022, 8:41 PM