Tampa gears up for top Indian film award show

TAMPA, Florida: “Busy” is an understatement, when it comes to staff from the International Indian Film Academy or IIFA. Many have been in Tampa Bay for months preparing for next week’s celebration of Indian film.
“Now is when it all comes together,” says IIFA Vice President Noreen Khan. “Stages are being built at Raymond James Stadium and the amphitheater. It’s really all systems go.”
One of the main Bollywood events is free to the public. It’s called IIFA Stomp and it takes place Wednesday at Curtis Hixon Park. “IIFA Stomp is like a dance/music festival. It’s almost like a tailgate party to welcome IIFA into Tampa,” describes Khan.
The signature event, the TATA Motors IIFA Awards ceremony, is at Raymond James stadium on Saturday. “It’s a little larger than life,” says Khan. And one of the highlights of the event may be some Hollywood stars like John Travolta and Kevin Spacey going Bollywood. Khan says with a smile, “They’ll be joining some of our leading actors on stage to learn a few Bollywood dance moves.”
Bollywood dancing may be a new concept to some, but with the show, also known as the “Bollywood Oscars,” coming to town, the colorful dance form is getting lots of attention.
“We’re getting calls from people who want to take classes so they can participate in the event,” says Swapna Komarraju, owner of Srishti Dance Academy. “There is a lot of Bollywood dance fever going on right now. It’s very exciting.”