‘Bollywood Oscars’ called off over coronavirus fears

The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, widely considered the ‘Oscars of Bollywood’ have been postponed indefinitely amid the ongoing global Covid-19 crisis.

Organizers announced that they would postpone the three-day event, due to be held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on March 27, amid growing fears for both fans and filmmakers alike. 

“A fresh date and plans for hosting IIFA in Madhya Pradesh will be announced at the earliest,” the event’s organizers stated.

Bollywood megastars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif were all expected to attend the glitzy ceremony. 

India boasts the world’s largest film industry in terms of gross number of films produced, reaching almost 1,800 in 2018 alone. 

The film ‘Gully Boy’, a break-out international hit about a Mumbai rapper, was expected to clean up at the awards but only time will tell after the postponement.

India has confirmed 31 cases of coronavirus infection and state governments have been advised by Delhi to cancel or postpone all mass gatherings until further notice. 

A total of 3,389 people have now died from the Covid-19 illness worldwide. There have been nearly 99,000 confirmed cases of the infection across the globe and over 55,000 people have recovered from the disease.

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