Bollywood star Salman Khan will be the Brand Ambassador of the IIFA Charity Initiative, which includes housing, literacy and rehabilitation measures for the people in the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka, as an initial part of IIFA Weekend being held in Colombo from June 3 to 5.

Addressing a press briefing in Mumbai yesterday (12 May), Salman, who runs the 'Being Human' charity foundation, said he supported IIFA's initiative to build bridges with the Lankan people who have suffered hardships due to the decades-old war that ended last year with the military defeat of the LTTE, reported Express India.

"I am happy to be the Ambassador for change and believe that it is crucial to make a difference and contribute to this worthy cause," Salman said.

A charity cricket match is being organised between Sri Lankan cricketers and Indian celebrities on June 4 as part of the 'Cricket for Change' project under which former child soldiers will be rehabilitated. The children, who bore the scars of the ethnic conflict, will be educated and trained in cricket and get to participate as volunteers at the IIFA Weekend, the report said.

As a symbol of solidarity with the people of the island nation, IIFA, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, will adopt and rebuild a village housing refugees with the proceeds of the cricket match being donated for this cause.

The global organisation, devoted to building simple and affordable housing, is already doing considerable work in Sri Lanka. The housing project would involve building 100 houses in the Jaffna region, Sabbas Joseph, Director of Wizcraft, which organises the IIFA Weekend, said.

At the press briefing, Sri Lanka Deputy Minister of Economic Development Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena expressed confidence that IIFA, that showcases Bollywood to the world, will play a vital role in strengthening co-operation between India and Sri Lanka.

"Sri Lanka, called the 'Pearl of the Indian Ocean', has great potential for investments in tourism, agriculture and film co-productions that will contribute towards the rapid development drive initiated by the government," he said, adding a Film City is being developed near Colombo.

Indian icons Rabindranath Tagore, Pandit Ravi Shankar and filmmaker Satyajit Ray were part of Lanka's culture and heritage as much as they were in their home country, he said.

Dileep Mudadeniya, Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism, said the number of Indian tourists visiting the island nation is about 100,000 a year. "We expect the number to double in 2012. So far, we have invested USD 4 million to create infrastructure to hold international events."

Meanwhile, the online voting for the IIFA Awards 2010 has opened to audiences of Indian cinema across the world and will end on June 1.

The results of the online voting would determine the winners of the popular category, which would be announced on stage at the Micromax IIFA Awards ceremony.

More than 500 luminaries from the Indian film industry will travel to Sri Lanka for this spectacular event. The event will be broadcast globally by STAR TV to reach nearly 500 million viewers in 110 countries.