The biggest celebration of South Indian cinema, the Fortune Sunflower Oil IIFA Utsavam co-powered by Gionee smartphone and Renault- Passion for Life was a splendid event that witnessed the coming together of the biggest superstars of the Tamil and Malayalam Film Industries on 24^th January 2016. With some of the year’s biggest films taking home the prestigious awards, the evening came alive as some of the most prolific names in the South Indian film industry came together to revel in the success of Tamil and Malayalam Cinema in 2015.  The first day saw the Tamil and Malayalam film industries being felicitated.

In the Tamil Film Awards, Baahubali-The Beginning took home the highest number of accolades with a total tally of six awards including Best Picture, Direction, Supporting Role (Male), Supporting Role (Female), Playback Singer (Male) and Playback Singer (Female). For the Malyalam Film Awards, Ennu Ninte Moideen took home the highest number of accolades with a total tally of six awards including Best Picture, Leading Role (Male), Leading Role (Female), Supporting Role (Female) and Playback Singer (Female).

Jayam Ravi won the award for Leading Role (Male) for his performance in Thani Oruvan (Tamil) while Nayanthara walked away with the award for Leading Role (Female) for May (Tamil). Prithviraj Sukumaran and Parvathi Menon won Best Actor and Best Actress for their film Ennu Ninte Moideen.

The evening also saw some incredible performances - Kavya Madhavan opened the evening with a fantastic routine. Superstar divas Shriya Saran, Adah Sharma, Tapsee Pannu, Mamta Mohandas and Nikki Galrani held the audience spell-bound with a stunning performance. Also the dynamic star Bharath lit the stage on fire with some incredible moves.

Kavya Madhavan commented “IIFA Utsavam put up a fantastic show. I am ecstatic at the roaring response my performance has and I am eagerly looking forward to many more years of IIFA Utsavam. I am glad to be a part of the first ever IIFA Utsavam which was not only entertainment packed but also a noble initiative. ”

Nasser, Actor and President, Nadigar Sangam said “As a member of the South Indian film fraternity, it excites me to see our cinema being given a global platform and deserving talent walk away with prestigious honors. Our South Indian Film Industry as a whole has contributed immensely to the world of cinema with its terrific productions, live wire acting and ambitious projects. IIFA Utsavam has pulled off a spectacular awards night!”

Angshu Mallick, COO, Adani Wilmar Ltd, commented on sponsoring the event, “Adani Wilmar Ltd. is one of India’s fastest growing food company with a turnover of more than 3 billion USD. Fortune – India’s No 1 edible oil brand, is proud to associate and present IIFA Utsavam. We have chosen Fortune Sunflower Oil, one of our most prominent brands in the South Indian market to bring forth this partnership. With our wide range of product portfolio of edible oils, basmati rice, pulses, soya chunks and besan, we look forward to being the preferred brand of every South Indian consumer by reaching out with an array of celebrity engagements as a result of our partnership with IIFA Utsavam. With the legacy of IIFA in the Indian entertainment space, we proudly look forward to the best entertainment extravaganza south of India is going to witness."

Arvind Vora, Country MD and CEO, Gionee India, commented “Gionee is proud to be associated with IIFA Utsavam, which is a great platform to recognize the efforts of the film industry who have put in their efforts to entertain audiences in the country and the Southern part of the country in particular. Cinema as a medium cuts across our consumer base and this platform is a great place to connect with our consumers”

Speaking on the association, Mr. Rafael Treguer, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Renault India said, “Renault has entered a new phase of growth in India, powered by our product offensive strategy. Our brand celebrates ‘Passion for Life’, which is reflected in all the platforms we partner with. IIFA Utsavam, celebrates the prestige and glory of South Indian Cinema, by felicitating and recognizing superlative achievers and their triumphs. We are proud to be associated with this platform, as it reflects Renault’s passion for celebrating life with elements of culture, entertainment, films and music.”   

S J Clement, Network Programming Head, Sun TV Network commented, “Sun TV Network is proud to be associated with the Premiere edition of IIFA Utsavam 2015, a pioneering event that will present the finest among the South Indian film fraternity. Sun TV Network reaches around 58 million households in the country. Increasingly, our programming is being accessed by the South Indian diaspora across the globe. We believe in delivering consistently high quality entertainment through our unrelenting focus on premium content. Our collaboration with IIFA reiterates our commitment to be at the leading edge of broadcast media industry. Sun TV Network will be the official broadcast partner of the IIFA Utsavam event and shall telecast the Red Carpet and Nomination episodes on its flagship channels Sun TV, Gemini TV, Udaya TV and Surya TV on Jan 3, 2016. The finale of the event will be awards ceremony with star studded performances, which will be telecast on Jan 10, 2016.”

Andre Timmins, Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment said, “We are thrilled at the phenomenal success of the very first edition of IIFA Utsavam. There have been a lot of challenged we have had to overcome including the tragedy in Chennai. We are honored to be able to help the city of Chennai get back on its feet through IIFA Utsavam. It is an honor to felicitate so many deserving individuals on their talent and hard work in the year gone by and we wish all the winners tonight the very best.”

The Fortune Sunflower Oil IIFA Utsavam 2016 was an entertainment powerhouse that unfolded in the presence of the most incredible talent in the film industry

The Fortune Sunflower Oil IIFA Utsavam will be telecasted on Sun Network.