Upcoming star Abbas Hasan performs at TOIFA

Amidst the arrival of Bollywood royalty including the likes of Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan, the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) officially kicked off in Vancouver with a major televised extravaganza.

In a packed stadium seating over��15,000 people including Bollywood�۪s glitterati, Abbas Hasan emerged on stage with an performance medley of his hits including a preview of his upcoming single with Rishi Rich entitled Away. Actress Neha Dhupia introduced him on stage as the next big heartthrob, opening the stage to his unique French-Hindi-English sound.

Hasan��said: “What a crazy night. I�۪m humbled by the amazing reaction from the industry and the crowd was just awesome. A massive thanks to Naila Mughal, Cineyug, KKings Entertainment and of course the Times of India group for all the love.”

The event also featured veteran artists including Sunidhi Chauhan, Shalmali Kholgade, Mohit Chauhan and Hard Kaur among others.

Since his performance, rumours are circulating about film offers and a deal with Times of India group, to which��Hasan says with a cheeky smile: “If there�۪s any news you�۪ll have to wait and find out!”

After his return from Vancouver, the star is all set to unveil Away. The song is produced by Rishi Rich with support of his prot̩g̩ Naamless.

See the full list of the Times of India Film Awards winners: Times Of India Film Awards: Winners

See a picture special of the Times of India Film Awards here: In Pictures Special: B-town stars glitter at TOIFAs

Also see photos of stars arriving at the Times of India Film Awards: In Pictures: Stars arrive for first ever TOIFA