Unpaid bills for the event, held nearly six months ago, run into a hundred million rupees. The dues of the various hotels that provided accommodation to Bollywood stars, some of who even had private after-parties on every evening of the award weekend in Colombo during the 2010 IIFA awards, are yet to be cleared.
Six months later, many service providers have also been left high and dry. Nearly 100 million rupees in unpaid bills remains to be settled, the Lanka News web portal reported adding that deluxe hotels in Colombo have become “victims” after welcoming the Indian stars.
According to reports Sri Lanka’s tourism authority had hosted the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards as part of tourism promotion with the Indian organisers having to pay virtually nothing for their stay. The awards was marred by boycott calls and the absence of many top names, including IIFA brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan.
His actor son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and megastar Shah Rukh Khan too were absent from the Colombo event. But Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan were among the stars who attended.
His actor son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai and megastar Shah Rukh Khan too were absent from the Colombo event. But Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan were among the stars who attended.
Sri Lanka as a venue for IIFA had angered Tamil supporters in India, who accused the Sri Lankan army of killing Tamils civilians during the conflict between the army and LTTE last year. The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce had decided to boycott Bollywood actors participating in the event.