Oberoi urges film world not to skip Bollywood Oscars
June 1, 2010 08:16 pm
Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi on Tuesday urged the Indian film fraternity to
attend the annual awards festival in
“Come to
His comments came amidst official reports that Bollywood’s leading stars may skip the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards this week, to avoid upsetting Tamils in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
IIFA’s brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, his actor son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai -- Bollywood’s leading couple -- have not yet confirmed their participation.
Media reports suggested that megastar Shah Rukh Khan may also opt out,
citing a busy work schedule. Two people were killed when a Khan concert in
“Amitabh Bachchan and his family have not confirmed yet. But we are hopeful and the awards will go ahead as planned, despite the Tamil Nadu protests,” Yapa said.
Tamils in Tamil Nadu share close cultural and religious links with
Tamil Nadu politicians have also been highly critical of
The pro-Tiger lobby argues that staging the IIFA awards in
Oberoi said Bollywood presence in
“I don’t know much about the Sri Lankan conflict. But I’ve read about it a bit. Its roots were planted before I was born. But we must help Tamil people now to rebuild their lives, to give them some hope for tomorrow,” Oberoi said.
Oberoi, who is scouting for locations to shoot a movie in
AFP