28th August 2019, Mumbai: As the countdown to the biggest celebration of Indian Cinema worldwide draws near, International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards announces its 11 Popular Category nominations for the 20th edition of the NEXA IIFA Awards being hosted for the first time ever in India in the home of Hindi Cinema, Mumbai.

Rounding out the 11 Popular Categories are Best Picture | Direction | Performance in a Leading Role (Female & Male) | Performance in a Supporting Role (Female & Male) | Music Direction | Best Story | Lyrics | Playback Singer (Male & Female) as Global Voting is now LIVE and open to everyone athttps://popularawards.iifa.com/.

Celebrating the homecoming to Mumbai this year, the prestigious 20th edition of IIFA has NEXA as the Title Sponsor of IIFA Awards for the 5th consecutive year, Woosh Detergent promoting gender equality as our Cause Partner for the 3rd consecutive year, Tata Tea Gold as the Brand Partner.

Indian Cinema has had an incredible year with a varied number of truly distinctive films that not only took the box office by storm but were also critically acclaimed fetching rave reviews.

 ‘Andhadhun’ leads the way, amassing the highest number of nominations, 13 in total, ‘Padmaavat’ and ‘Raazi’ comes close seconds with 10 nominations each followed by ‘Sanju’ with 7, ‘Badhaai Ho’ with 6 Nominations.

The top picks for the Best Picture category are Andhadhun, Badhaai Ho, Padmaavat, Raazi, and Sanju.

The nominees for Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) are Alia Bhatt (Raazi), Deepika Padukone (Padmaavat), Neena Gupta (Badhaai Ho) Rani Mukerji (Hichki) and Tabu (Andhadhun).

The nominees for Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) are Ayushmann Khurrana (Andhadhun), Rajkummar Rao (Stree), Ranbir Kapoor  (Sanju), Ranveer Singh (Padmaavat), Vicky Kaushal (Raazi).

Nominations for the Best Direction category are Andhadhun- Sriram Raghavan, Badhaai Ho- Amit Ravindernath Sharma, Padmaavat- Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Raazi- Meghna Gulzar and Sanju- Rajkumar Hirani.

 Commenting on the occasion, Andre Timmins, Co-Founder-Director, Wizcraft International, says, “We are pleased to announce that Global Voting for our 20th edition IIFA Awards 2019 is now LIVE for IIFA fans and Bollywood enthusiasts from across the globe to cast their vote.  It is a great line up of superstars in our chosen nominees for the 11 popular categories from Best Picture, Direction, Story, Performances, and Music among others that truly echoes the outstanding talent and work our Hindi film industry has offered to the audiences this past year. It’s a tough one with so many talented people nominated and who wins IIFA truly allows the people to decide.  We could not be happier to be preparing to celebrate this special 20th anniversary of IIFA Awards in the very heart of Bollywood, our very own Mumbai city.’

 Mr. Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India said, “The automotive industry has moved beyond ‘Retail Experiences’. It is about privileges now. From innovations to hospitality, the entire journey has become more evolved and indulgent. And NEXA’s association with IIFA awards is a wonderful testament to that fact. We are happy to take our relationship with IIFA into its fifth year. We are inspired by the fact that our association brings us a step closer to our new-age customers who seek global experiences in their everyday lives. NEXA is as much about innovative technology, as it is about global design and sophisticated style. In just four years we have touched a million hearts and the newest member to embody NEXA's values is the all-new exclusive 6-seater, the XL6. This premium MPV is all set to charm you with its looks and charm you with its premium interiors, leaving you truly inspired.”

 Mr. Yogesh Jain, Director at Woosh Washing Expert, says, "We take immense pleasure and pride in announcing our partnership with IIFA for the 3rd consecutive year as a Cause Partner supporting the cause of “Barabari Ghar Se Shuru - Equality Begins At Home”.

 Puneet Das, VP Marketing - Tea (India), Tata Global Beverages Ltd, said “Tata Tea Gold is proud to associate with IIFA as a brand partner on their 20th Anniversary as it is being hosted for the first time ever in India in the home of Hindi Cinema. IIFA is synonymous with Indian cinema and over the years has stood for the ‘Gold standard’ of celebrating Indian Cinematic achievements. Likewise, Tata Tea Gold stands for a ‘Gold standard’ in tea drinking experience with its rich taste and an irresistible aroma. Tata Tea Gold #DilKiSuno campaign invites consumers to buy a pack of Tata Tea Gold and win a chance to attend the exciting IIFA 2019 awards event in person. This is a perfect opportunity for our consumers to witness the glitz and glamour and watch their favorite stars up, close and personal…. and we already seeing this excitement in the overwhelming responses we have been receiving so far. We wish IIFA a very happy 20th anniversary and many more to come.”

 Fans of Indian Cinema, IIFA enthusiasts and media alike are welcome to keep abreast of the latest news and details on IIFA and Hindi cinema by logging on to www.iifa.com or checking out the social media handles given below:

 

About IIFA (International Indian Film Academy)

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India and an equally important objective is to create similar benefits in the host countries.  The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments, and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travels to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com