IIFA 2017: Shahid, Alia win Best Actors, 'Neerja' Best Film
New York
July 16, 2017
In a city that never sleeps, the
Metlife Stadium came alive with the IIFA Awards celebration here on
Saturday night, with Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt becoming proud
winners of the Best Actor trophies for their remarkable work in "Udta
Punjab".
Given that it came for a film which was mired in controversy with the
censor board over its theme and content, made the success sweeter for
the stars -- even Diljit Dosanjh walked away with the Best Debutante -
Male Actor for his performance in the film.
All three of them were emotional about winning the award for a film
which let mainstream performers take up something risky.
The Best Picture honour went to Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja", based on
the real life story of Neerja Bhanot, an air hostess who lost her life
while trying to save others on a hijacked flight at Karachi. Actor Jim
Sarbh won the Best Performance in a Negative role for his act in the
movie.
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury walked away with the Best Direction award for
"Pink", a hard-hitting drama which put forth the message that when a
woman says no, it is a no.
Actress Taapsee Pannu, who played a pivotal role in "Pink", was named
the Woman Of The Year, while music maestro A.R. Rahman was given a
Special Award in recognition of his contribution to film music since 25
years at the event, which was largely attended by the NRI commnity here.
Rahman sang two lines from "Maa tujhe salaam" much to the delight of
the audience on the final day of the 18th edition of International
Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, an annual celebration of
Hindi cinema at a foreign location.
In the Best Supporting Actor category, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher
were honoured for 'Neerja" and "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story"; Varun
Dhawan was lauded for his comic timing in "Dishoom"; and Disha Patani
was encouraged with an award for her debut movie "M.S. Dhoni: The
Untold Story".
The music category saw Pritam winning the Best Music Direction for "Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil", and Amitabh Bhattacharya bagging the Best Lyrics
accolade for "Channa mereya".
Among the singers, Kanika Kapoor's "Da da dase" and Tulsi Kumar "Soch
na sake" shared the award in the female category, while Amit Mishra won
it in the men's category.
As hosts, Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan attempted to keep the humour
alive, but beyond a point, the crowd wasn't very engaged and booed them
in between.
The performances by Alia, Katrina Kaif, Shahid, Varun, Sushant Singh
Rajput, Kriti Sanon and Salman kept the pace of the event going.
"Raabta" actors Sushant and Kriti performed on retro tracks, while
Varun paid a tribute to his father David Dhawan by grooving to his
chartbusters.
IIFA, a celebration of Hindi film and music, takes place every year in
a new country. The idea is to spread the magic and promote 'Indian
cinema".
(Radhika Bhirani's trip to NY is at the invitation of IIFA. She can be
contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)
New York
July 16, 2017
In a city that never sleeps, the
Metlife Stadium came alive with the IIFA Awards celebration here on
Saturday night, with Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt becoming proud
winners of the Best Actor trophies for their remarkable work in "Udta
Punjab".
Given that it came for a film which was mired in controversy with the
censor board over its theme and content, made the success sweeter for
the stars -- even Diljit Dosanjh walked away with the Best Debutante -
Male Actor for his performance in the film.
All three of them were emotional about winning the award for a film
which let mainstream performers take up something risky.
The Best Picture honour went to Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja", based on
the real life story of Neerja Bhanot, an air hostess who lost her life
while trying to save others on a hijacked flight at Karachi. Actor Jim
Sarbh won the Best Performance in a Negative role for his act in the
movie.
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury walked away with the Best Direction award for
"Pink", a hard-hitting drama which put forth the message that when a
woman says no, it is a no.
Actress Taapsee Pannu, who played a pivotal role in "Pink", was named
the Woman Of The Year, while music maestro A.R. Rahman was given a
Special Award in recognition of his contribution to film music since 25
years at the event, which was largely attended by the NRI commnity here.
Rahman sang two lines from "Maa tujhe salaam" much to the delight of
the audience on the final day of the 18th edition of International
Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, an annual celebration of
Hindi cinema at a foreign location.
In the Best Supporting Actor category, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher
were honoured for 'Neerja" and "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story"; Varun
Dhawan was lauded for his comic timing in "Dishoom"; and Disha Patani
was encouraged with an award for her debut movie "M.S. Dhoni: The
Untold Story".
The music category saw Pritam winning the Best Music Direction for "Ae
Dil Hai Mushkil", and Amitabh Bhattacharya bagging the Best Lyrics
accolade for "Channa mereya".
Among the singers, Kanika Kapoor's "Da da dase" and Tulsi Kumar "Soch
na sake" shared the award in the female category, while Amit Mishra won
it in the men's category.
As hosts, Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan attempted to keep the humour
alive, but beyond a point, the crowd wasn't very engaged and booed them
in between.
The performances by Alia, Katrina Kaif, Shahid, Varun, Sushant Singh
Rajput, Kriti Sanon and Salman kept the pace of the event going.
"Raabta" actors Sushant and Kriti performed on retro tracks, while
Varun paid a tribute to his father David Dhawan by grooving to his
chartbusters.
IIFA, a celebration of Hindi film and music, takes place every year in
a new country. The idea is to spread the magic and promote 'Indian
cinema".
(Radhika Bhirani's trip to NY is at the invitation of IIFA. She can be
contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)
Tags: Alia BhattSonam KapoorShahid KapoorDiljit DosanjhTaapsee PannuA. R. RahmanAnupam KherShabana AzmiVarun DhawanDisha PataniAmitabh BhattacharyaKanika KapoorKatrina KaifSushant Singh RajputKriti SanonSalman KhanDavid DhawanUdta PunjabNeerjaPinkAe Dil Hai MushkilM.S. Dhoni : The Untold StoryDishoomRaabta