Salman backs IIFA in Lanka

Bollywood actor Salman Khan says boycotting the Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Colombo is not the right thing to do. Khan is in Colombo to make up for the depletion in star power at the event being held from today to June 5.

Protests over the Tamil issue may have kept some of Bollywood's biggest names away from the India International Film Academy (IIFA) awards this year. NDTV managed to catch Salman and ask him about the controversy.

Salman said, "I don't really understand this. If there are some people here who are not doing well and are in trouble then we have come to entertain them. We are here to give them something.

He further said, "This way we won't be able to visit Kashmir, Gujarat or Afghanistan. If our people are in difficulty we should not abandon them."

Sri Lanka as a venue for IIFA has angered many Tamil supporters in India, who allege the Sri Lankan government of killing Tamils civilians at the height of the conflict between army and LTTE last year. A group of Tamils had marched from superstar Amitabh Bachchan's Pratiksha bungalow to his Jalsa residence in Mumbai last month urging him to boycott the Colombo awards ceremony.

The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) has said that it will go ahead with the boycott of Bollywood actors who are participating in the IIFA weekend. (NDTV)