The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) kicked off its chain of events with the premiere of Provoked, starring Aishwarya Rai [Images].

Directed by Jagmohan Mundhra, Provoked was first premiered at the Cannes film festival this year. Mundhra is looking for a September 1 worldwide release.

The premiere was well-attended by stars like Amitabh Bachchan -- who is also the brand ambassador of IIFA -- Jaya Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shabana Azmi [Images] and Javed Akhtar.

IIFA, held in Dubai this year, will end its three-day run with the grand awards ceremony on June 16.

Photograph: Getty Images