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Karan, Juhi to host Zee Cine Awards ceremony

DUBAI - As the excitement builds up for the most glamorous awards show to be hosted in Dubai, the organisers of Zee Cine Awards have announced that noted film director Karan Johar and actress Juhi Chawla will be hosting the ceremony.

The seventh edition of Zee Cine Awards, presented by meBank in association with Dubai Media City, is one of the most coveted awards of the Indian film industry.

The ceremony will be held at the Airport Expo on February 26. Kal Ho Naa Ho, starring Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, has dominated the nominations, taking the centre stage in for nine popular categories, including the best film.

"We decided to bring in Karan Johar and Juhi Chawla to host the show in Dubai. Karan, a director par excellence, along with the glamorous Juhi, will make a wonderful duo," says Yogesh Radhakrishnan, Special Projects Director, Zee Network.

A who's who list of Bollywood personalities sharing the stage to assist Karan Johar and Juhi Chawla to compere the show includes Javed Jaffrey, Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif and John Abraham.

This was announced at a Press conference at the Dubai Media City, which was attended by Louis A Scotto, General Manager (Retail), Emirates Bank International, Mohammed Al Mulla, Senior Partner Relations Manager, Dubai Media City, Steve Han, Senior Manager (Telecommunications), Samsung, Ahmed Amer, Market Planning Manager, General Motors, Soni Tolani, Executive Director, Jacky's Electronics, Abdul Latif Al Sayegh, Managing Director, ARN, Tony Nassif, Brand Manager, Red Bull, Jai Talwar, Marketing Manager, Khaleej Times, Alia Fawad, Editor, Ahlan Masala, and Mark Lynch, Managing Director, Citigold Corporation.

The Zee awards ceremony, the first outside India, will be held in front of a live audience of over 6,000 people plus a global television audience of half a billion. A total of 32 winners in various categories will be honoured at the ceremony.

"The Zee team has sourced the best of everything to make the show a grand success. We have managed to bring in top comperes from Bollywood for the show, coupled with an eminent sponsor base from Dubai, which goes to say how the event is poised to be a runaway success," says Manish Vasisht, Vice-President of the Zee Telefilms International Ltd.

A massive stage - 115 feet by 70 feet - has been designed for the ceremony, which is on the lines of the Zee Cine Awards trophy, resembling an ideal fusion of the East and the West.

"Spectacular pyrotechnics and airbursts have been planned during the show. Apart from this, the Zee team has lined up a bevy of activities to ensure that the awards have excellent recall value. The seating arrangements are within 45 metres of the stage, so that everyone can have a clear view of the show," says Manish.

The four-hour ceremony promises to be an evening of glitz and glamour peppered with songs and dances from Hindi films with the best of Bollywood descending on Dubai. "Even as 32 lucky ones will walk away with the impressive Zee trophies on February 26, the ultimate winner will be excellence in Indian cinema. And that's what Zee Cine Awards is all about," adds Yogesh.

The event is co-sponsored by Samsung Mobile Phone. The associate sponsors are Jacky's Electronics LLC and CitiGold Corporation. Official Newspaper is Khaleej Times, Official Radio is Arabian Radio Network, Official Magazine is Ahlan Masala and the Official Transport is Europcar.Red Bull will sponsor the After-show Party.