Big stars absent yet IIFA notches fab TRPs

It was Singapore ahoy this year for the IIFA Awards. It was also the year when Bollywood's A-listers decided to stay away from the awards (maybe Singapore is no longer glam enough for them). Hence, the expectation was that the televised IIFA Awards show on Star Plus would be given the flick of the remote button by viewers who would prefer to watch other fare on other channels. But wait… look at the latest ratings: The IIFA Awards telecast on 7 July (2012) on Star Plus racked up a rating of 4.7. And of course everyone associated with it is cock-a-hoop with delight. “IIFA awards rocks the trp charts... Thanks all for your love and support... Cheers,” was what Star India Creative Director/Cice-President Anil Jha tweeted. The man who was intricately involved with the scheme of extraordinary things on IIFA. Tellychakkar.com got in touch with Star India business head (Hindi channels) Nitin Vaidya, Business Head and asked him about his feelings on such a commendable achievement. Said Nitin, “I am very happy. The event was a perfect synergy between Star Plus and Wizcraft. Everyone put in a lot of hard work.” What makes the victory sweeter for Team IIFA is that this time around the “star” appeal, in terms of actors attending IIFA was comparatively less, with the biggies of Bollywood, like Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, amongst others, deciding to stay away from the event. Yet, it did not affect the viewer sentiments and hence the viewership of the awards night, and the numbers stand testimony to the fact. “True. The show was amazingly creative. The chemistry between Shahid (Kapoor) and Farhan (Akhtar) as hosts, the Priyanka (Chopra) and Rekha act, Ranbir (Kapoor) and Rishi (Kapoor) act, everything else, was beautifully crafted. Viewers simple loved them. All in all, it was a great event,” Nitin went on to add. We also had a word with Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft, and he shared, “IIFA has come of age and has grown beyond a dependency on a star-quotient. I think, Nitin Vaidya has put it aptly that it is a result of perfect synergy between the teams of Star Plus and Wizcraft. I believe that IIFA is one of the most systematic and well organized events, garnering appreciation as a brand in our country as well as across key global markets. Viewers, advertisers as well as the Bollywood fraternity have endorsed the awards. We thank everyone for the overwhelming response.” Team Tellychakkar.com congratulates Team IIFA and wishes them all the best!!! Cheers!!!