Zee Biskope has announced that the International Bhojpuri Film Awards will return in 2023 with Yashi Films’ property for its sixth edition after a three-year hiatus.

The channel announced the event, promising to make up for the three-year gap by tripling the entertainment and grandeur at every level. The event will take place in Dubai.

The event, which is set to take place on March 15, will be a star-studded affair that will bring together the entire Bhojiwood fraternity as well as some of Bollywood’s biggest names. The channel hopes that the event will deliver on its promise of “Bhojpuriya Jhumade Pura Burj Khalifa”.

The award ceremony will be attended by actor Govinda, as well as actress Jacqueline Fernandez.

Sugandha Mishra, Sanket Bhosale, and Paritosh Tripathi will moderate the event. Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, Pawan Singh, Pradeep Pandey Chintu, Amrapali Dubey, Kajal Raghwani, and Smriti Sinha from Bhojiwood will also perform at the event.

The awards will not be given to films from a single year, but rather three years to compensate for the gap. The event will also feature appearances by actors Manoj Tewari and Ravi Kishan, the channel said in a statement.

Bhojiwood’s young stars will also be present, including Yash Kumar, Arvind Akela Kallu, Parvesh Lal Yadav, Ritesh Pandey, Harshika Punecha, Subhi Sharma, Neelam Giri, and Anara Gupta.

The channel intends to air three offerings surrounding the show, beginning with a Curtain Raiser, followed by a Red Carpet, and finally the Main Event. The broadcast is scheduled for the last week of March.

Viewers of ZEE Biskope will also be able to vote for their favorites as part of the Biskope Fan Awards in three of the most important categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Film. All they have to do is leave a missed call on the appropriate numbers. This would be followed by an IVR callback in which they would be able to vote for their favorite nominees.

Samrat Ghosh, Chief Cluster Officer, East, ZEEL, said, “Zee Biskope continues to charm and mesmerize audiences across age groups, gender, and socio-economic class through its unique movie and movie plus offerings. After a small hiatus, Zee Biskope is coming back with IBFA which promises to take viewers to a magical universe of Bhojpuri films and Bhojpuri superstars. The initial response has been encouraging and we are seeing participation from some of the bigger brands. We will continue to win the hearts of consumers through the curated properties complementing our brand philosophy of ‘Aathon Pahariya Loota Lahariya’.”

Amarpreet Singh Saini, Chief Channel Officer, Bhojpuri Cluster , ZEEL, said, “Zee Biskope always stands true to its promise of offering movie plus content and IBFA is a golden addition. Induced by the pandemic, viewers have missed this event for 3 years. Hence, to compensate for that gap, Zee Biskope has curated this event with entertainment pulled up 3X higher at every level of the show. We also have extensive Marketing support planned for this event which would cover the TV, Digital, Radio, and Print medium. With so much in the offering, we are confident to get 3X love from Bhojpuri viewers this season.”