Bangkok, June 6 (IANS) The Bachchan family was the cynosure of all eyes at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards gala that kicked off here Friday evening with most Bollywood celebrities in attendance for the three-day prestigious event.

Thai girls in traditional attire welcomed the Bollywood stars at the Dusit Thani super luxury hotel, the venue of the event, as drummers set off a welcome chorus. The Bachchans - film icon Amitabh, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya - were always surrounded by a crowd of admirers and media persons wherever they went. The highlight of the evening is the premiere of Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar Raj", in which the three Bachchans feature.

"All the media persons, especially the Western media, have been queueing up to interview the Bachchans. They are also interviewing other stars, and one of the questions they ask is whether the Bollywood stars have any plans to work in Hollywood," a bystander at the hotel told IANS.

Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Salman Khan, Urmila Matondkar, Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan are among the stars attending the function.

Around 80 metropolitan university students are working as volunteers, taking care of the Bollywood film stars and also their security. IIFA has dispensed with the service of bouncers for the security of the stars this year, informed an official.

"Sarkar Raj" will get a Green Carpet premiere, in keeping with the concern over global warming.

Many Indian fans can be seen at the hotel. "Indians have planned their holidays to coincide with the IIFA. They chase the Hindi film stars for pictures and autographs," said the official.

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