The lobby of a hotel at the bustling Times Square area here was full of NRIs waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite Bollywood stars, who have descended in the Big Apple for the 18th edition of the IIFA Weekend and Awards
Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan
IIFA 2017: Disha Patani looks mesmerising as she scorches the runway at Stomp event. Pic/IIFA's Twitter account
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The lobby of a hotel at the bustling Times Square area here was full of NRIs waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite Bollywood stars, who have descended in the Big Apple for the 18th edition of the IIFA Weekend and Awards.
From fans sporting colourful 'pagdis' and a family of three flaunting T-shirts reading "Shah Rukh's fan", "Salman's fan" and "Aamir's fan" -- the excitement level was unprecedented as they welcomed the celebrities for the kick-off press conference here on Thursday evening at the Sheraton hotel.
Salman Khan, Anupam Kher, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and Sushant Singh Rajput apart from DJ Dwayne Bravo set the pace for the IIFA celebrations here.
"We hope this is a weekend of laughter, happiness and joy of coming together in one of the biggest cities in the world," Sabbas Joseph, Wizcraft International Entertainment, the creators and producers of IIFA, said here.
Riva Ganguly Das, India's Consul General in New York, welcomed the stars to the city.
"It's not everyday that the stars come to New York City. This is really India's soft power at its best as we try to develop a relationship with the US further.
"I think people are at the heart of relationships -- and people-to-people relationships strengthen relations between countries. So, I think events like this when they happen, it's better late than never.
"New York is a great selection for the show as it gets great visibility for India because Times Square is really a place where the world meets. It's a great opportunity for us to show our soft power."
The three-day IIFA gala features the IIFA Stomp, IIFA Rocks and IIFA Awards.
The stars promised a "memorable" show full of fun and frolic.
At the conference, DJ Bravo also made the stars groove to a number that he sang live, and the fans cheered for the Bollywood celebrities by shouting "Chal beta selfie le le re", "We love you Salman" and "Alia, you're the best".
Salman, in his typical style, said: "Chup baith jao... Awaaz lag rahi hai kaan mein. Love you too."
IIFA Stomp event
Disha Patani, Shahid Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Shilpa Shetty and other Bollywood celebs left the audience awestruck at IIFA Stomp event.
Catch all the photos and videos from IIFA Stomp event:
New York City has gathered at Times Square for IIFA Stomp! Let's kickstart the madness. ðÂu00c2u009fÂu00c2u0092¥ @myntra pic.twitter.com/mkKem0T1cv
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 13, 2017
She walks the ramp like she owns it! @NexaExperience presents Falguni Shane Peacock at IIFA Stomp. #IFA2017 @TheShilpaShetty pic.twitter.com/cnZBymnZxv
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
The flawless @TheShilpaShetty looks like a goddess sent straight down to Times Square. IIFA Stomp lights up with her aura. #IIFA2017 @myntra pic.twitter.com/PG91AndOK9
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
Massive crowd calls for a mega selfie moment. The charming @SunielVShetty with our very own @WizAndreTimmins are all smiles at IIFA Stomp! pic.twitter.com/GFMpqOGsap
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
Beauty in black. @humasqureshi owns the runway at IIFA Stomp! Designer @sonaakshiraaj. Jewelry collection #Gitanjali pic.twitter.com/9pmwMxypI4
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
She's effortlessly beautiful! @NehaDhupia sets fire to the ramp as walks for IIFA Stomp wearing Shane Falguni. @myntra @NexaExperience pic.twitter.com/Wx5TCclqW2
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
Causing fireworks at Times Square is the one and only @shahidkapoor at IIFA Stomp! #IIFA2017 pic.twitter.com/fw6cVph9Hy
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
Stealing hearts with her breathtaking walk at Times Square. @DishPatani looks beyond elegant in #FalguniShanePeacock at IIFA Stomp. @myntra pic.twitter.com/H8hHhC89RY
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
Tera Dhyan Kidhar Hai? Tera Hero Idhar Hai! @Varun_dvn steals not just the show but hearts at IIFA Stomp! pic.twitter.com/hPHb5OEMFu
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
The handsome hunk @Varun_dvn shakes a leg at IIFA Stomp and gets the crowd grooving with him. #IIFA2017 @myntra pic.twitter.com/dyHazgIeMf
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
We cannot get enough of his moves! @Varun_dvn leaves the audience awestruck with his killer moves at IIFA Stomp. @myntra pic.twitter.com/ZeU6038GjB
— IIFA Awards (@IIFA) July 14, 2017
(With inputs from agencies)