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19 March 2024

Priyanka Chopra posts funky Dubai picture

Published
By Bindu Rai

The Arab Indo Bollywood Awards (Aiba) went ‘live’ last night in Dubai, as the UAE shifted gear to stage what is being touted as one of the most anticipated Bollywood awards ever witnessed abroad.

Held at the Meydan Racecourse, the Aiba show saw some of B-town’s biggest names zoom into the city for a two-hour extravaganza.

Bollywood divas, Anushka Sharma and Priyanka Chopra in Dubai. (All pics: Bindu Rai)

Speaking at the press meet ahead of the big night, AIBA Chairman, Abdul Latif Al Sayegh said: “AIBA is ultimately setting the foundation for a future entertainment industry. Look at how Dubai is evolving today.

“Looking ahead, we have theme parks opening a year from now, we have the Expo 2020 in five years.

“There will be world-class venues in place, which will need content and Bollywood is the place to produce this content. This is a foundation for the future.”

Al Sayegh continued: “We need to work towards this goal. We can already see where the city is going, how it is developing. And there is already a huge collaboration from people at the table and behind the scenes. This will fuel business opportunities to achieve these goals.”

Aiba jury head, actor and India’s National Award winning filmmaker, Tigmanshu Dhulia, was of similar mind, but his appeal was more immediate.

He stated: “I am hopeful organisers must have arranged meetings with producers from Mumbai and investors here.
“The idea behind Aiba was always to meet at a particular place and discover new ideas to collaborate.

“Bollywood is rising but there are new areas need to grow.”

When quizzed further, Dhulia further explained: “The exhibition sector needs work here. I would love it if people from Dubai, the Middle East, would invest in more theatres; we need them.

“Production infrastructure is already in place, but we need more theatres. I thought this is a good opportunity to meet investors who would be interested in this. I am sure producers will be very happy if they have lined up a few people here.”

Kirit Sanon at the Aiba show in Dubai.

Earlier this month, Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas announced it had increased its investment in the VOX Cinemas business from an initial Dh750 million announced in March 2014 to a total of Dh1 billion.

The funds would facilitate the ongoing enhancement of existing cinemas in current markets, whilst supporting expansion plans to open new locations in existing and new MENA markets, to attract a further 50 million customers over the next five years.

Organiser Benchmark Media’s Managing Director, Habib Rahman, added: “Why stop there? We are planning ways for Bollywood to land in Dubai to shoot with ease, while creating a partnership that will go further. We are already working with different government departments to achieve this.”

Ranveer Singh at Aiba in Dubai.