News Entertainment Bollywood Deepika, Kalki, Malaika sail off to enliven IIFA 2014 at Tampa Bay (see pics)

Deepika, Kalki, Malaika sail off to enliven IIFA 2014 at Tampa Bay (see pics)

Tampa Bay: The 15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, an annual celebration of the multi-million dollar Hindi film industry abroad, in its US debut this year, is ready to



"Tickets were being sold in advance and the records have been phenomenal this year. Whichever region IIFA has been held in earlier, there has been an increase of 30 to 50 percent in profit every year. This year, it's only going to get better," he added.

Veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha will be honoured with the outstanding contribution to Indian cinema award.

"Shatrughan Sinha's contribution toward Hindi cinema is huge. His role in the industry is outstanding," Joseph said of the actor-politician, who is known for films like "Kalicharan", "Blackmail", "Dostana" and "Shaan" in his over four decade long acting career.



A highlight of the the awards night will be a livewire performance by dancer par excellence, actor Hrithik Roshan.

"He will be performing in the US after a decade, so it's going to be very exciting for everyone. I can't reveal on which songs he will be performing, but it will certainly be great," Joseph said.

As far as awards are concerned, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's National award-winning film "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", a biopic on former athlete Milkha Singh, is leading the nominations race with a presence in 10 categories.



Since the IIFA platform goes beyond the dance and drama associated with cinema, there are other highlights like the IIFA Expo, a celebration of Indian art, culture and tradition. According to the official website of the event, it's going to be "like a never before Bollywood shopping experience".

There will also be the FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum, where the theme is 'Indo-US Partnership: A Catalyst for Economic Growth', and a Master Class Panel will see Bollywood's very own Vidya Balan share the stage with Kevin Spacey.



The four-day extravaganza has been heavily promoted across the country since the past few months, giving the event a much needed impetus in its first time in the US.

So, with the stage now set, let the celebrations begin!