New York: The International Indian Film Academy fired the opening salvo in a weekend of glitz, glamor and music for its annual awards, sending fans wild with excitement by hosting Bollywood stars in Times Square.
Hundreds of people -- overwhelmingly South Asians joined by bemused onlookers, confused tourists and a smattering of Western converts to Bollywood -- cheered a fashion show and shrieked in delight when actors Shahid Kapoor blew kisses and Varun Dhawan performed on stage.
The crowd turned into a sea of camera phones and raised arms, a taste of the excitement building among Indian cinema fans in New York, the heart of a tri-state area home to around 1.8 million Indian-Americans.
The News has collected pictures of event and some of them being shared with the viewers.
Dia Mirza (L) announces a winner as Huma Qureshi looks on during IIFA Rocks/AFP
AR Rahman performs during IIFA Awards 2017/REUTERS
A dancer performs during IIFA Awards 2017/REUTERS
Shabana Azmi speaks at IIFA Rock 2017/AFP
Ritesh Deshmukh (L) and Manish Paul perform on stage during IIFA Rocks /AFP
Alia Bhatt arrives on stage to give an award during IIFA Rocks 2017/AFP
Singer Diljit Dosanjh performs on stage during IIFA Awards 2017/AFP
Alia Bhatt arrives for IIFA Rocks 2017/ AFP