By Rachel Dsilva
I began my journey in the media industry this June after finishing school, under the apprenticeship of Manju Ramanan. One of the privileges I have received through this internship was experiencing something that I’ve loved since childhood, right in front of my eyes— the IIFA. IIFA 2024 delivered as it promised, especially with IIFA Utsavam, with energy-packed performances and picturesque production.
My experience began with the press conference during the first day of the trilogy of events. Albeit being a bit far from all the action, I was still impressively starstruck as I saw the event unfold right in front of me. Siddharth Kannan’s voice brought back chills and nostalgia of childhood memories—sitting in front of the TV waiting for the performances and awards to begin. The part that resonated with me the most, especially with this year’s IIFA, was the #icanmakeadifference, which supports the education of girls, and allowing to bring out a better version of them, hence empowering them. As a Goenkar, the announcement of a film city in my State made me feel proud, while anticipating a representative and fulfilling opening, that bears in mind the cinematography and discography that come from the State.
I was next met with the green carpet for IIFA Utsavam. Being new to South Indian cinema, I wasn’t familiar with many of the stars, but I had watched films like ‘Bahubali’ and ‘The Goat Life.’ Seeing other journalists, who are well seasoned in the field awestruck over some of the South Indian actors, transferred onto me (P.S. I will be going through a movie marathon soon). A performance that resonated with me and gave me a confidence boost was from Shane Nigam, especially as he danced to Chaleya. While I may have not gotten the full gravity of the performances, the production definitely sold it for me, especially Regina Cassandra’s and Prabhu Deva’s performances.
Day two was a dream come true, as I finally saw the celebrities I’ve admired since childhood. Preceding the green carpet was a touching and inspirational masterclass with Indian Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and TV Host, Actor and Model, Mini Mathur. Hearing the wise words flowing through, through the exchange between Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the audience may have made me romanticize filmmaking a little, however, a later interaction, made me stay level-headed on the topic. The green carpet reminded me of the Mall of the Emirates metro station during peak hours, except the green carpet was nicer. Seeing my favourites in front of me gave me the confidence to ask them quick questions, especially Shilpa Rao, while some were definitely in a rush due to their performances being soon.
The performances themselves were aesthetically pleasing and deserved a different paragraph. Shahid Kapoor’s entry seemed extremely surreal, especially as my seat was quite close to his entry with the bike. Shah Rukh Khan’s entry was the most iconic, along with Vicky Kaushal’s. I quite literally remember hollering the “Oo Antava” performance by SRK and Vicky Kaushal. Ananya Pandey’s performance reminded me of K-pop with her elegant moves and striking outfit, my favorite look of hers from the event. Janhvi Kapoor’s debut performance was amazing, although I was hoping she’d dance to her hit “Nadiyon Paar.” Kriti Sanon proved once again why she was the perfect choice for “Thumkeshwari.” I was a little bit disappointed, more so in myself, for missing out on THE Rekha’s performance, however, it was way too late in the night for me, which is not a good combination for the ‘lark chronotype’ folks.
Day three was more relaxed. I explored Abu Dhabi before attending IIFA Rocks, a concert that delivered on all its promises. As a music enthusiast, it reminded me how much I miss live concerts.
Duringthe three days, I met and spoke to some very inspirational people— Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and Raj Shekhar. The former conversed on his viewpoint on filmmaking, where he spoke of how culture influences his visionary crafts (which can be viewed on the YouTube channel @manjuramanan), and the latter wished to be more inspirational in his lyrics writing (Despite writing such masterpieces). I also spoke to Taha Shah, Shilpa Rao, Safa Siddiqui from Dubai Bling, and many more, which I will forever cherish in my heart. I also met Neetasha Singh, a South African actor, and model, who is notably known for her role in ‘Mommy Club’.
The 2024 IIFA will forever be cemented in my mind and heart as a core memory and lived up to the “larger than life” feeling that was established when watching the awards on TV. This wouldn’t have been possible with Manju Ramanan guiding me, and Watermelon ME with its logistics. Thank you IIFA for fulfilling my childhood dreams, and cheers to this successful hattrick!
