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IIFA throwback: From Angelina Jolie to John Travolta, Hollywood stars who graced the Bollywood award show in the past

This year, the high-profile Bollywood event is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on May 26 and 27

Published: Tue 23 May 2023, 7:35 PM

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The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards has always been the grand event Bollywood fans look forward to every year. Starry performances, on-stage banter between the celebrities, and the award ceremonies, all make IIFA a huge hit.

This year, the Bollywood spectacle returns to Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row. The event will place at the capital city's Etihad Arena in Yas Island on May 26 and 27.


Preparations for this year's extravaganza are on in full swing. Fans are eagerly waiting to see their favourite stars take to the stage and entertain the audiences. While IIFA Rocks will feature live performances from Nucleya, Sunidhi Chauhan, and others, the main awards night has Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, and Kartik Aaryan among others in the performer line-up.

Almost all the A-listers will be spotted at the high-profile event, including Alia Bhatt, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, and many others.

Bollywood stars are undoubtedly a treat to all fans, but there have been instances, in the previous editions of the award show, when Hollywood stars also graced the stage. To mark the countdown to this year's IIFA, we revisit the times when popular Hollywood stars marked appearances at the Bollywood event.

Angelina Jolie (2000)

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie graced IIFA's first-ever edition. She presented the Best Actress Award along with Bollywood's romance king Shah Rukh Khan. Two icons of the entertainment industry sharing the stage went down as one of the most iconic events in history. The Hollywood diva is also reported to have said, “I just learned about these films and people, and I was just blown away!”

Jackie Chan and Kylie Minogue (2000)

IIFA's first-ever edition, its most ambitious till date, saw a host of international celebrities attending the Bollywood event. Held in London, the event was graced by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Kylie Minogue, Finley Quaye, Miranda Richardson, and Sussanah York. While Chan was conferred with the 'IIFA Special Award for Global Impact,' Minogue stunned visitors with her gig.

Jean-Claude Van Damme (2006)

The 2006 edition of IIFA, held in Dubai, was when Bollywood's action hero Salman Khan shared stage with Hollywood's action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme. The two presented the Best Actor award to Amitabh Bachchan. Reportedly, Van Damme candidly asked the audience whether he should do an action movie with Salman. "Yeah," he exclaimed, as did the audience.

Salman smirked and added, "I'll do all the romance and he does action."

Kevin Spacey (2014)

The IIFA award ceremony in 2014 took place in Florida, US. Kevin Spacey danced along with Shahid Kapoor and Farhaan Akhtar to the popular song 'Lungi Dance.' The three also sported a lungi as they performed the steps on stage. That's one way to make the award show a remarkable event.

John Travolta (2014)

Hollywood superstar John Travolta, also present at the 2014 edition, matched steps with Bollywood's 'Greek God' Hrithik Roshan on Bollywood numbers. Who could have imagined?



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