IIFA 2024: 'Shah Rukh Khan has been working very hard to produce one of the biggest shows on Saturday'

This is not another weekend for Indian expats living in the UAE. Rather, it is a reminder of the influence India’s biggest soft power, Bollywood, wields around the globe. When it started out two decades ago, the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) was a celebration of Indian cinema across the world. Today, it has transformed into a movement to showcase culture, establish business ties and expand Indian entertainment’s footprint. What lies underneath the dollops of glitter and fanfare? We meet Andre Timmins, founder and director of IIFA, to find out. Edited excerpts from an interview:

Could you take us through the formative years and the journey that led you to being involved with IIFA?

Our journey with IIFA actually began before IIFA itself. We used to organise a lot of events in the same space. In 2000, we decided to either focus on Indian cinema or cricket, and take it international. We found cinema more attractive because of the storytelling aspect and the opportunity to bring stars closer to their fans, especially for the second- and third-generation Indians abroad, who never had the chance to see or meet these stars.

So, we embarked on organising the first IIFA event in London in 2000. At the time, people thought we were crazy for taking 500 people to London for a three-day event, with accommodation included. But the concept of bringing Indian cinema closer to the world was well-received, and from there, we moved on to Sun City, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tampa, New York, Madrid, Amsterdam, and more. Now, we are in our 24th year, heading toward our 25th Silver Jubilee anniversary.

After all these years, IIFA has become a definitive celebration of Indian cinema. You mentioned how this idea took root in 2000. Initially, it focused on Bollywood, but now you’re also embracing Southern cinema, which has gained a lot of popularity. As an outsider looking in, how did you navigate your way through Mumbai’s entertainment scene?

We’ve been in the business for 36 years, and we have built strong relationships with all the stars. We’ve worked with them not only on IIFA but also on weddings, exhibitions, shows, world tours, and government events. Trust is key in an industry like this.

The South Indian film industry has a different mindset. Initially, many big stars from the South didn’t promote their movies internationally. We had to educate them on the importance of doing so and how it could benefit them. For instance, we recently worked with Madame Tussauds to create a wax figure of Allu Arjun in Dubai. Over the years, any Indian star inducted into Madame Tussauds has gone through IIFA. As I speak, Junior NTR is screening his film in Los Angeles.

So, we’re closely working with the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada industries. That’s why you see big names like Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, AR Rahman, Mani Ratnam, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan supporting IIFA. Right now, we have over 1,100 people coming from India to Abu Dhabi for the show, with about 450 cars, 2,500 people working directly, and 150-170 dancers and choreographers. We’re using eight hotels on Yas Island to accommodate everyone. It’s going to be a grand event with 150 superstars, including directors, producers, actors, actresses, and scriptwriters.

IIFA has been hosted in cities around the world — New York, London, Singapore. How important is the location for IIFA, and how do you decide the host city? Why was Abu Dhabi chosen as the destination for IIFA this year?

Abu Dhabi had expressed interest in hosting IIFA for three years. We initially agreed on two years, but then we thought, why not make it three? We brought together five different industries within Indian cinema and Bollywood. The decision turned out to be a great one. We knew it would be a huge task to pull it off in just 35 days, but we’re happy with the choice.

We’ve sold 100 percent of the tickets for all three days, with 35,000-40,000 people attending, which has never happened before.

The host plays a very important role because they carry the show. For this year, we were in discussions with Shah Rukh Khan about his performance, and he suggested he could host. I’m extremely excited about this because Shah Rukh has been working very hard to produce one of the biggest shows for Saturday, the 28th. There will be a lot of surprises, and the audience will witness something entirely new.

IIFA has kept up with changes in the industry, including in Southern cinema. But with OTT platforms becoming more prevalent, how has IIFA adapted to this shift?

Interestingly, we’re launching our first digital OTT awards in Jaipur, coinciding with our 25th-anniversary celebrations. The event will be held from March 7th to 9th, 2025, marking our first venture into the digital space.

What are some of the major business breakthroughs IIFA has achieved in its two-decade journey?

One breakthrough was being the first to enter South Africa after apartheid. We brought Aamir Khan to IIFA in Sun City, where the first Indian film was sold post-apartheid. That deal opened the South African market to Bollywood, and within four years, they bought around 200 titles.

We also helped markets like Singapore and Malaysia. For instance, Singapore invested $1.2 million (Dh4.4 million) for Krrish to shoot there, and Malaysia did the same for Don. Co-production treaties were signed, and new incentives were introduced. After we hosted IIFA in Macau, the business of film shootings, weddings, and Indian tourism there grew significantly.

One of our biggest achievements is that IIFA has profiled Indian cinema and India itself as a soft power, showcasing our culture and storytelling to the world.

• Watch: Shah Rukh Khan mobbed at Mumbai airport on his way to UAE for IIFA 2024