IIFA Awards 2017: Shilpa Shetty, Alia Bhatt Lead Times Square Stomp

New Delhi: The 18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards kicked off with a star-studded press conference in New York on Thursday morning and was followed by a power-packed event at Times Square - IIFA Stomp - in the evening. The interactive session was attended by a bevy of stars comprising Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon, Sushant Singh Rajput, Varun Dhawan and Anupam Kher. But all eyes were on Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, who headlined the event. The stars talked about their experience of being associated with IIFA and also shared a few light moments on stage, courtesy the dabangg Khan.

On stage, Salman appeared to have little difficulty in keeping up with the IIFA itinerary, when he said: "I am very bad with dates. The only date I remember is Katrina's birthday," reported news agency IANS. Katrina will celebrate her 33rd birthday on July 16, a day after the main IIFA awards.
 

 

Picture perfect! A galaxy of stars descend onstage for the #IIFA2017 Press Conference in the city of New York. @sushantsinghrajput @kritisanon @varundvn @aliaabhatt @beingsalmankhan @katrinakaif @shahidkapoor

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 13, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT

Meanwhile, Alia, Varun and Shahid are among the stars who are keeping their IIFA diaries updated on Instagram.
  

 

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A post shared by Alia (@aliaabhatt) on Jul 13, 2017 at 4:31pm PDT

 

 

Dressed for the #iifa2017 press con in #kunalrawal @kunalrawaldstress #newyork

A post shared by Varun Dhawan (@varundvn) on Jul 13, 2017 at 4:50pm PDT

 

 

Here we go. #iifa press con.

A post shared by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Jul 13, 2017 at 4:54pm PDT

Shilpa Shetty also shared a sneak peek from when she set the runway during the IIFA Stomp on fire. She looked stunning in a silver gown from the studious of Falguni Shane Peacock. Shilpa showstopped while Disha Patani and Huma Qureshi also walked the ramp for the brand.
 

 

Walked the ramp on Times Square in NYC baby#iifa2017 #rampwalk #showstopper #workmode #funmode

A post shared by Shilpa Shetty Kundra (@theshilpashetty) on Jul 13, 2017 at 6:28pm PDT

 

 

Beauty personified! @theshilpashetty slays her ramp walk at IIFA Stomp. #IIFA2017 #falgunishanepeacock @myntra @nexaexperience

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 13, 2017 at 5:47pm PDT

 

 

Beauty in black. @iamhumaq owns the runway at IIFA Stomp! Designer @sonaakshiraaj Jewelry collection #Gitanjali #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 13, 2017 at 6:15pm PDT

 

 

Stealing hearts with her breathtaking walk at Times Square. @dishapatani looks beyond elegant in #FalguniShanePeacock at IIFA Stomp. @myntra #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 13, 2017 at 6:53pm PDT

 

This is how Varun got the crowd grooving:
 

 

What a spectacular show! Too hot to handle @varundvn lifts IIFA STOMP a notch higher with his undeniable energy! #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 13, 2017 at 7:37pm PDT

We also have frame-worthy updates from Kalki Koechlin, who made an observation while at Times Square, and Disha:
 

 

Times Square is more rectangular, and upward facing...wearing @michaelkors styled by @eksters #NewYork #Iffa2017

A post shared by Kalki (@kalkikanmani) on Jul 13, 2017 at 6:26pm PDT

 

 

@iifa 2017 styling @tanghavri Make up & Hair @marcepedrozo #NewYork

A post shared by disha patani (paatni) (@dishapatani) on Jul 13, 2017 at 8:02pm PDT

The IIFA Stomp is scheduled to be followed by IIFA Rocks on Friday evening. Celebrities like Diljit Dosanjh, AR Rahman, Aditi Rao Hydari, Benny Dayal, Hariharan, Haricharan Seshadri, Jonita Gandhi, Kailash Kher, Mika Singh, Mohit Chauhan, Neeti Mohan and Svetha Rao will perform in New York's MetLife Stadium, which is also the venue for the main IIFA event.

The main IIFA awards is on July 15.