Saif Ali khan to co-host IIFA 2017 with Karan Johar

Mumbai: Actor Saif Ali Khan is set to co- host the 18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards with filmmaker Karan Johar in New York.

The star-studded award ceremony to be held on July 15 will witness power-packed performances by Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon.

“I am happy to be back to the IIFA stage this year as I join my close friend Karan Johar to host the IIFA Awards in New York. This year it’s going to be super fun and glamorous in every way as Karan and I are going to have lots of surprises in store for our fans internationally,” Saif said in a statement.

Actor Varun Dhawan will also make his debut at the ceremony with a stunning performance and will be seen co- hosting a segment of the awards night.

“I am absolutely excited to be a part of IIFA Awards in New York this year. I’m looking forward to join everyone and see fans at the amazing MetLife stadium. This year is truly going to be a grand celebration and I can’t wait to be there,” Varun said.

The musical evening, IIFA Rocks 2017, will be held on July 14 and will celebrate music maestro A R Rahman’s 25 years in the industry.

The show will feature a medley of musicians, including Diljit Dosanjh, Benny Dayal, Javed Ali, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi and Haricharan Seshadri.

The evening will be hosted by Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul.

—PTI