Amitabh Bachchan" align="right" hspace="5" vspace="5" />The International Indian Film Academy started from the 11th June in Macau, a small peninsula on the west of the Pearl River Delta in China. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, the face of IIFA, inaugurated the affair by planting the national flower for India, the lotus. Lotus happens to be the official flower for Macau too!

The occasion will see many of the film fraternity missing in action and some creating a big bang in the event including Boman Irani, Riteish Deshmukh, the Bachchans, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor and many others. IIFA is considered to be the Indian Oscars much to the disagreement of Big B. He does not concur with the comparison that Indians keep making with the American film industry, most popularly called Hollywood. ""Why can't we be proud of what we are doing rather than comparing ourself with others? The west is west and the east is east. Let both of them exist in their own world. What is wrong with the Indians?" said the 66-year old brand ambassador of the ceremony.

The three-day extravaganza started with Big B's wax statue flown down from Madame Tussaud's collection and the unveiling of the book "Bollywood in Posters" compiled and created by film historian S. M. M. Ausaja. Ausaja has compiled this book for over fifteen years accumulating in all kinds of fun-facts and poster art since the 30's era.

So, how much fun or how boring will IIFA be this year?