IIFA Awards performer Kartik Aaryan tests positive for Covid-19

The Bollywood actor is forced to pull out just hours before taking to the stage in Abu Dhabi

Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan was due to be one of the performers at the IIFA Awards 2022, but has pulled out after testing positive for Covid-19. Photo: IIFA

Bollywood actor Kartik Aaryan has tested positive for Covid-19.

The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 star made the announcement just hours before he was scheduled to take the stage at Saturday's International Indian Film Academy Awards at the Etihad Arena.

"Everything was going so positively, but Covid could not resist," he posted on social media in Hindi.

Aaryan is one of the scheduled performers for the ceremony, which will honour the best of Bollywood from the past year. Films from 2020 and 2021 will also be considered as the event was cancelled in those years due to Covid-19.

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Aaryan has previously performed at the IIFA Awards, even hosting the event in Bangkok in 2018.

Earlier, he said he was "elated to perform once again at the 22nd edition of the biggest celebration of Indian cinema".

"IIFA truly is an embodiment of a global phenomenon with its massive fan following and I’m looking forward to the IIFA Awards at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi," he said.

The IIFA Awards 2022 will be hosted by Salman Khan along with actors Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul. Performers include actors Tiger Shroff, Shahid Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday, Divya Khosla Kumar and Nora Fatehi.

On Friday, the stars walked the green carpet at IIFA Rocks, an evening dedicated to music and fashion.

Panday described her appearance, which will be her first live show performance, as "a dream come true".

"The IIFA Awards are getting bigger and better than ever," she said.

Panday, who is a big fan of Abu Dhabi, said she was excited to visit Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi after her performance.

Other stars attending Saturday's ceremony include veteran actors Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Mithun Chakraborty. They will be joined by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Lara Dutta Bhupathi, Tamannaah Bhatia, Nargis Fakhri, Bobby Deol, Arjun Rampal, Sanya Malhotra, Urvashi Rautela and film producer Boney Kapoor.

Oscar-winner A R Rahman will also attend, along with actors Vicky Kaushal, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Fardeen Khan, Sohail Khan and Suniel Shetty.

All the Bollywood stars attending the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi - in pictures