The IIFA celebrations has kicked off in Tampa , Florida . The press conference was attended by Anil Kapoor , Priyanka Chopra and the soulful Rahat Fateh Ali Khan!
Priyanka Chopra received a rather warm Tampa Bay welcome on Thursday afternoon at a press conference to launch the IIFA weekend. Priyanka, who’s quite the poster girl for bridging the divide between east and west, has even coined a new nickname for IIFA. “I think that it should be called PIFA because of the fact that I am doing so many things this IIFA weekend. Between myself and Anil (Kapoor) we’ve got it covered,” Priyanka says. Priyanka will also be standing in for Vidya Balan – who cancelled her IIFA appearance in order to vote in Mumbai and will hold a discussion with Hollywood heavyweight Kevin Spacey on the Bollywood and Hollywood perspective. Priyanka however claims she has no jitters and we’re guessing with her new found fit physique, courtesy the biopic of Mary Kom, Priyanka doesn’t scare easily. Mary Kom may be highly anticipated but for the moment Priyanka has some more immediate success to share. Her latest single, inspired by Bonnie Rait, I Can’t Make You Love Me, has zoomed to the top of the charts. As for how Priyanka deals with it when she can’t make someone love her, the actor is rather candid. “I tend to sleep a lot and eat and sulk and shut myself away in the dark,” she says.
Anil Kapoor certainly hit the ground running, or should that be stomping, in Tampa Bay. The actor was the first to kick off the IIFA celebrations with the IIFA Stomp and seemed to have one mission for the weekend – to be a crowd-pleaser. Whether it was dancing with abandon at the inaugural IIFA press conference even as Priyanka Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Hollywood actor Stephen Baldwin looked on, or playing to the gallery as only Anil Kapoor can at the launch of the IIFA expo, the 24 star was feeling the love not just from the fans but from himself as well – clapping for himself without the least bit of self-consciousness. If you’re wondering what the secret to this boundless energy is, it’s not for the faint hearted. “They say that the best food is no food. Also, I woke up early this morning and went for a run by the bay. So maybe that’s the secret to my energy,” Anil said.
Its great to see two actresses look so comfortable with each other and share such superb stage presence! Let’s hope to see many more B-town girls enjoy such moments…
