A R Rahman is a gift to India and world: Dia Mirza at IIFA 2017

Oscar and Grammy winner A.R. Rahman is a gift to India and the world, said Bollywood actress Dia Mirza,who is here to attend the 18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards.

Talking to ANI, Dia, who won Miss Asia Pacific 2000, said that A.R. Rahman, who completed his 25 years in the music industry, is a gift to India and the world.

"Mr. Rahman is gift to India and the world. His music is so compelling and beautiful. We are proud of him and his achievements. I hope he continues to grow and continues to earn the audiences love," she added.

The Bollywood actress is very much excited about the event.

"It's wonderful to know that the audiences are going to watch all the actions immediately as it happens. I am really happy that one of the biggest and the largest hearted industries in the world is going to entertain audiences from here. I am very proud of IIFA and the fact that we travel to different parts of the world and we get an opportunity to meet people and our fans," she told ANI.

The IIFA Rocks 2017 on day two celebrated 25 years of Rahman in the music industry and featured a special medley by the maestro along with musicians Diljit Dosanjh, Benny Dayal, Javed Ali, Neeti Mohan, Jonita Gandhi and Haricharan Seshadri.

The final event of the weekend is the NEXA IIFA, a spectacular and glamorous night which honours and celebrates excellence and deserving work in Indian cinema. It will be held at MetLife Stadium on July 15 featuring Saif Ali Khan and Karan Johar hosting the star studded night with dazzling performances by Bollywood megastars Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, to name a few.

Actors Riteish Deshmukh and Manish Paul will be hosting the event.