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29 March 2024

Ranveer, Anushka, Priyanka, Farhan coming to Dubai

Published
By Bindu Rai

As the countdown to the Arab Indo Bollywood Awards (Aiba) kicks off, more celebrity names have been added to the starry Dubai guestlist, which already features powerhouse Salman Khan, along with Hollywood-return Priyanka Chopra, amongst others.

The latter actress will also be showcasing her upcoming film, 'Dil Dhadkne Do', at Aiba Dubai, with co-stars Ranveer Singh, Anil Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar and Shefali Shah also joining her in the emirate; director Zoya Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidwani will also be in attendance.

Meanwhile, actor Varun Dhawan will also be joined by current co-stars, actress Shraddha Kapoor and ace choreographer-director-actor Prabhu Deva, as the trio present their upcoming dance movie, 'ABCD 2', also at the Bollywood festive weekend in Dubai, which kicks off on May 28.

Other celebrity names include actor-filmmaker Rajat Kapoor, director-producer Rajkumar Hirani, director-writer Vikas Bahl, singer Ankit Tiwari, actresses Kriti Sanon and Daisy Shah, director-producer Sajid Nadiadwala.

Also added to the list are Deeksha Seth, Padmini Kolhapure, Tanisha Mukerji, Gautam Gulathi, Mukesh Bhatt, Manish Malhotra, Ali Fazal, Zarine Khan, Raj Kumar Rao and more.

Former beauty queen turned Bollywood starlet, Neha Dhupia, also promises to get candid and critical as she hosts the 'fashion pit stop' on the AIBA gold carpet that will be rolled out on the awards night at the Meydan Racecourse on Friday.

Organised by Al Bustan Events, along with Benchmark Media, the golden carpet will also see actress Jacqueline Fernandez, Pareeniti Chopra, singer Kanika Kapoor, amongst others.

Insider details

Speaking with Emirates 24|7, Benchmark Media Managing Director, Habib Rahman, revealed further details about the acts and what’s in store for the celebrities in Dubai.

"We have eight acts in total, with rehearsals already kicked off in Mumbai," he stated. "The stars themselves will start arriving on Wednesday and Thursday, aboard Emirates and Jet Airways flights.

"We have over 400 people in total flying down from Bollywood alone for the event."

Fans eager to book a room at Meydan Hotel to be close to the stars may be disappointed, with Rahman revealing that they have booked out the entire venue, along with 250 rooms further blocked at Damac Properties.

Those wondering about Khan's arrival, the actor is expected to touchdown in Dubai on Wednesday, according to sources, travelling individually once his permission is granted by the Bombay High Court to leave the country following his hit-and-run court case.

Rahman further revealed, individual vanity vans will be supplied for celebrities backstage, with Cineyug handling the finer details to cater to requirements and the occasional eccentric request.

Meanwhile, what's a celebrity awards without a snazzy swag bag to accompany as a fashion accessory?

Rahman stated: "Each gift bag will be packed with a minimum of $300 worth of goodies from Paris Gallery and some of the other sponsors. They will not be disappointed."

While Rahman told Emirates 24|7 earlier that Khan's act will be the grand finale of the night, descending in a hot air balloon, live animals includes camels and horses will mark the Arabian Nights theme for Priyanka Chopra and Varun Dhawan.

"The stage itself is a Dh2 million production, incorporating LED technology, which will be outstanding," said Rahman.

With 25 awards being handed out on the AIBA night itself, the winners will take home a gold-plated trophy, specially designed by Romi Mehta, the brainchild behind the award trophy for India's Filmfare Awards and the likes.

Organisers have revealed earlier, over 15,000 people are expected to attend the May 29 AIBA awards night.