IIFA: Being in New York is like being at home, says Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt looked stunning in the traditional Indian attire at the IIFA green carpet. Other Bollywood actors like Sushant Singh Rajput and Diljit Dosanjh were also there.

Excited about being in New York for IIFA, Alia Bhatt, who has collaborated with the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) for the first time this year, said being in the Big Apple for the event is like being at home. Decked up in an attire designed by Manish Malhotra, the 24-year-old said, “I’m really excited as it’s my first time at IIFA. So, a lot of things are happening for the first time.It’s so exciting to be here in New York. You really don’t feel like you are away from home, even though you are so far away. It’s been really lovely so far,” she said.

Alia Bhatt signs an autograph as actor Shahid Kapoor looks on during a press conference ahead of the 18th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Festival in New York City on July 13, 2017. (AFP)

Talking about her debut performance, the Dear Zindagi star said, “I’m super excited, because we are performing at the MetLife Stadium and it’s a huge stadium with 40,000 capacity. So, you can imagine what the energy would be like. I’m just hoping I remember all my steps.”

The IIFA Rocks 2017 on day two celebrates 25 years of Oscar and Grammy winner A.R. Rahman in the music industry and features a special medley by the maestro along with musicians Diljit Dosanjh, Benny Dayal, Javed Ali, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi and Haricharan Seshadri.