The ominous green carpet unravels as Bollywood unleashes its dark and mysterious talents upon UAE.

The UAE is hosting the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, where big Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan will attend. The Hindi-language movie industry has been struggling due to competition from other parts of India, a trend away from thin plots, and the rise of streaming. However, Bollywood recently received a boost when viral dance number ‘Naatu Naatu’ won an Oscar for best song. In addition, superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ broke Indian box office records in January. The IIFA awards have been held in various cities around the world, including London, Madrid, Johannesburg, and Singapore, reflecting Bollywood’s wide appeal. The Gulf is a “huge market” for Bollywood, with millions of South Asian residents and migrant workers. The industry is worth $2.5 billion and chums out about 1,600 films each year in 21 official languages. The IIFA awards will acknowledge film entries such as fantasy-adventure ‘Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva’, comedy-horror ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, and dark comedy ‘Darlings’.

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