The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Rajasthan have sparked a heated political debate, with Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the state, Tikaram Jully, adding fuel to the fire by referring to Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit as a ‘second-grade actor.’
The controversy erupted after reports suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Rajasthan government spent over Rs 100 crore to host the IIFA ceremony in Jaipur last week. The Opposition Congress has slammed the ruling party, questioning the allocation of such a large sum for a film event while allegedly neglecting key religious and public welfare projects.
Jully took a direct jab at the government, stating, “While this government chants the name of Sanatan, it couldn’t allocate Rs 100 crore for Khatu Shyam Ji temple or Rs 120 crore for Govind Dev Ji temple. But they quickly approved Rs 100 crore for the IIFA ceremony.”
He also criticised the event’s lineup, arguing that, apart from Shah Rukh Khan, no major Bollywood stars attended the awards, diminishing its significance. Defending his controversial remark about Madhuri Dixit, Jully said, “When someone mentioned Madhuri Dixit, I replied, ‘She is in second grade now. Her time is over.’ No big film stars came.”
He further asked, “When Amitabh Bachchan didn’t come, what is there to say?”
The Congress leader further questioned the benefits of the event for Rajasthan, alleging misuse of taxpayers’ money. “Passes worth Rs 7 lakh were given out for free. What did Rajasthan gain from IIFA? The stars didn’t visit tourist spots, and the people of Rajasthan gained nothing,” he reportedly said.
Jully’s remarks have sparked outrage among Bollywood fans and industry insiders, with many defending Madhuri, who remains an iconic figure in Indian cinema.
During the event, Madhuri performed to some of her iconic songs with Shah Rukh. Several videos of the actors have gone viral on social media platforms. The actress also performed solo.
Sonu Nigam’s IIFA controversy
The award ceremony has been embroiled in various controversies. Renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam also expressed his disappointment with the event over being overlooked at IIFA Awards in Jaipur. The singer, who was not even nominated, took a subtle yet pointed dig at the awards on Instagram on Tuesday (March 11).
Sharing a screenshot of this year’s nominees, Sonu wrote, “Thank you IIFA… After all, you were answerable to the Rajasthan bureaucracy.”
His remark is believed to be linked to an incident from three months ago when he was left feeling disrespected after Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and other Ministers walked out of his concert midway while he was still performing in Jaipur.
