MUMBAI: A new addition to the IIFA Weekend itinerary is the IIFA Music Workshop. Initiated this year, it aims to showcase Indian music, which is a major and unique facet of Indian cinema.

The workshop is an open invitation to students from across Ontario, professionals and industry stalwarts to participate in a themed-based discussion – Music Bringing Cinema Alive. Established to bridge the gap between India and the host country by means of sharing and promoting the music of both countries, the workshop is the ideal platform for Indian and International musicians and other professionals to interact and share ideas with emerging talent, professionals and other interested parties.

The workshop will be held on 25 June, 2011, the same day as the IIFA Awards.

The workshop will explore the factors that come together to influence music for Indian cinema and will feature an interactive session led by Vishal Bhardwaj, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Salim Merchant. The workshop will open with a brief history of Hindi film music – its origins, uniqueness and integral role in films. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will then use inputs and recommendations from the audience to compose a song during the course of the day. They will also invite members of the audience up on stage to jam with them.

This will be followed by industry stalwart and director, Vishal Bhardwaj speaking on how music is infused into films, based on plot and scripts and how the music composer looks into all components – background score, lyrics and music.