MUMBAI: The 16th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards has announced the list of nominations in the popular category. The Videocon d2h IIFA Weekend & Awards will take place at Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5-7 June, 2015.

 
Leading the polls is 2 States with nine nominations followed closely by Vishal Bhardwaj’s hard-hitting Haider, which garnered eight nominations. Rajkumar Hirani’sPK achieved six nominations and the naively stirring Kangana Ranaut starrer Queenreceived five nominations. Some of the other noteworthy mentions this year are Imtiaz Ali’s Highway and Ek Villain.

Wizcraft International Entertainment director Andre Timmins said, “It is amazing how Indian cinema is growing strength by strength every year. It has been a spectacular year for Indian cinema across genres of films and a multitude of talent on and off screen. Some of the biggest films are contending for awards this year and the nominations reflect the talent and achievements of our Indian film industry.”

Contenders for the Leading Role Male this year are Shah Rukh Khan (Happy New Year), Aamir Khan (PK), Hrithik Roshan (Bang Bang), Arjun Kapoor (2 States), Shahid Kapoor (Haider) and Randeep Hooda (Highway). The Leading Role Female category will see Deepika Padukone (Happy New Year), Priyanka Chopra (Mary Kom), Rani Mukherji (Mardaani), Anushka Sharma (PK), Kangana Ranaut (Queen) and Alia Bhatt (2 States) vying for the award this year.

The best director category sees a host of nominees like Vikas Bahl (Queen), Vishal Bhardwaj (Haider), Rajkumar Hirani (PK), Abhishek Varman (2 States) and Imtiaz Ali’s (Highway).