At a function held at Land's End, Bandra, on Tuesday, the Times of India group launched its new venture: the Times of India Film Awards (Toifa), which will celebrate and fete talent in the Hindi film industry. To be held at a different global venue every year, the inaugural edition will be hosted in partnership with British Columba at Vancouver from April 4 to April 6, 2013. Talking about the awards, Vineet Jain, MD, Times of India group, said, "The Times of India film awards are yet another step in getting closer to millions of Indians across the globe. The Times of India group has always been at the Centre of the readers' mind and heart As we celebrate our lineage of 175 glorious years of thought leadership in the media, Toifa will extend this to a worldwide audience."
Shah Rukh Khan, who was present at the launch, said that film awards were a representation of the hard work and effort that the industry put in to entertain audiences. "I am delighted that the Times of India has taken this step towards bridging the gap between us and our fans worldwide," he added. The Toifa trophy was unveiled at the ceremony after a performance by Shaimak Davar's troupe. Davar will choreograph the first edition of the awards, which will be conceptualized, scripted, directed and managed by Cineyug Entertainment There will be 14 categories of awards. The event, which will go on for three days, is as follows.