Sri Lanka as a venue for IIFA has angered many Tamil supporters in India, who accuse the Sri Lankan army of killing Tamils civilians during the peak of the conflict between the army and LTTE last year.
The IIFA awards in Sri Lanka may have been overshadowed by a boycott call but actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha lauded the united front put up by brave stars who attended the weekend ceremony in the Sri Lankan capital.
"I have come to Sri Lanka to express solidarity and unity with our neighbouring country. We believe in building bridges. I congratulate the Indian film fraternity for being brave and not giving in to threats and protests," said Sinha at the awards ceremony.
Sri Lanka as a venue for IIFA has angered many Tamil supporters in India, who accuse the Sri Lankan army of killing Tamils civilians during the peak of the conflict between the army and LTTE last year.
The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) has said it would boycott Bollywood actors participating in the event.
The 63-year-old BJP member claimed that the stars were representatives of the whole of India and wanted a peaceful world.
"We represent the whole of India and not a particular region. We are citizens of the world and for a peaceful and terror free world," he said.
Actor Salman Khan was made the goodwill ambassador for the habitat and humanity project and had also visited a site to build homes for the people displaced by the civil war.
"Salman would help set the pace for housing development in north Sri Lanka," said minister for economic development Basil Rajapaksa.
The country, which saw a violent end to three decades of civil war, is hoping to repair its image and revive tourism by hosting the event.
But this year's IIFA saw some of the big names in Bollywood opting out of the event. Amitabh Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador of IIFA, did not attend the ceremony for the first time in 11 years.
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