The grandest celebration of Indian Cinema, the International Indian Film Academy and Awards, was set to thrill fans with its 22nd edition in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi on May 20 and 21, 2022. But, due to the death of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the event has been postponed.
In an official statement, IIFA said, "The International Indian Film Academy and the Indian Film industry expresses its deepest condolences to the people of the UAE and the world on the passing of the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. With this sad news the UAE nation is in a state of mourning and has declared a 40-day mourning period. In solidarity with the people and Government of the UAE and with the national mourning being observed, the 22nd edition of the IIFA Weekend & Awards to be held on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi from the 19th to 21st of May 2022 has been postponed."
"The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) has decided that the 2022 IIFA Weekend & Awards will be held instead from 14th to 16th of July 2022. Further confirmations and updates on the new IIFA schedule will be shared soon. IIFA expresses its apologies to all the fans and ticketholders and promises a bigger, more exciting celebration of the India-UAE friendship at the later date. Customers who have purchased tickets and packages will be contacted by the respective companies to reschedule for the new dates of the event. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation," the statement further read.
The president passed away at the age of 73 after battling illness for several years. “The Ministry of Presidential Affairs has mourned to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan," the official WAM news agency tweeted.
Since UAE has announced 40 days of mourning, with flags at half-mast from Friday and work has been suspended for the first three days in the public and private sectors, IIFA has decided to postpone the award ceremony. It will now take place in July 2022 and the dates are 14th, 15th and 16th.
Hosted by Salman Khan and Riteish Deshmukh, the highly anticipated event promises to be a mélange of glitz and glamour with stunning performances from Bollywood’s superstars including Varun Dhawan, Ananya Panday among others.
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