Dabangg wins six awards at 'Bollywood Oscars'

Priyanka Chopra performs on the IIFA awards night.

Salman Khan's corrupt cop caper Dabanggwon a bagful of awards, includingbest picture at the InternationalIndian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) akaBollywood Oscars, held for the first time inNorth America.

The film directed by Abhinav Kashyapwon in the hugely important music categoriesfor best female playback singer, best maleplayback singer and best music direction, aswell as best screenplay on June 25, 2011.Actor Sonu Sood also picked up the awardfor best performance in a negative role as theevil head of a regional political party in thefilm. He thanked his mother when acceptingthe award.

Members of Rhythm Dhol Bass arrive on thegreen carpet on June 25, 2011.

Shah Rukh Khan being greeted by thrilledfans in Toronto.

Shah Rukh Khan being presented the 'Best Leading Male' award by Hilary Swank. AnilKapoor is on the right.

Sonakshi Sinha won the best female debutfor Dabangg. Presenting the award to her,yesteryears' diva Hema Malini said: "I sawthis girl and never thought she will becomean actress." A beaming Sonakshi said:"Toronto, itna pyar. Thanks for giving me thegift of IIFA. I will cherish it forever."

Other awards for Dabangg included theaward for best male playback singer presentedto Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for Tere MastMast Do Nain and best music directionaward to Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit.My Name is Khan followed with four nodsfor best story, best lyrics, best director forKaran Johar and best actor for Shah RukhKhan's portrayal of a Muslim suffering fromAsperger's syndrome who is detained at a USairport after his disability is mistaken for suspiciousbehavior. The making of the film was"emotional and therapeutic," Johar said afterthe win, adding it taught him "restraint andlove."

Tens of thousands of fans swarmedToronto's Rogers' Center stadium for the12th annual IIFA awards, and another 700million were said to have watched it on television.Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor (SlumdogMillionaire) and the Deol family were amongthe dozens of Bollywood superstars in attendance.

Oscar-winning stars Hilary Swankand Cuba Gooding Jr. put in an appearanceat a glitzy June 25, 2011 night ceremony featuringdance performances by the likes ofShah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, ShilpaShetty and Bipasha Basu. The awards showwas the climax of three days of moviegoing,dancing, fashion, music and a business forumaimed at strengthening ties between Indiaand Canada -- something event organizershope to do around the world as well.Salman Khan, however, could not make itto Toronto as he was reportedly shooting hisnext film Bodyguard, a romantic actionmovie with Kareena Kapoor.

"I love you so much," screamed MamtaSharma over and over again, after winningthe award for best female playback singer forthe song Munni Badnam Hui... The awardwas handed to her by Arshad Warsi in thecompany of show co-hosts Boman Irani andRitesh Deshmukh as well as Shah RukhKhan.

A tense moment followed when a fangrabbed Shah Rukh Khan onstage, leadingthe "King of Bollywood" to complain thatthe man was hurting his leg. "This is theproblem, only men grab my thighs," Khanjoked as his assailant was escorted off stage.Khan's return to the awards show after asix-year absence had earlier been put in doubtby a knee injury that had required being tapedup at a hospital and "a couple of injections."He said he had fractured a part of the boneand the ligament was "swollen to three timesthe size it should be." Shah Rukh had vowedto perform at the IIFA show but in the end his

Priyanka Chopra performs on the IIFA awards night.Shah Rukh Khan being presented the 'BestLeading Male' award by Hilary Swank. AnilKapoor is on the right.

Shah Rukh Khan being greeted by thrilledfans in Toronto. dance steps were tremendously scaled back,and he urged the audience to fill in the restby dancing in the aisles. He last attended theIIFA in Amsterdam in 2005, and last performedat the show a year earlier in Singapore.

A three-day festival leading up toawards night saw flash mobs of Indiandancers, gala movie premieres, a fashionshow and Indian cultural events.Jermaine Jackson also performed his latebrother Michael's hits with Indian pop singerSonu Nigam at an IIFA concert on June 24,2011 to commemorate the second anniversaryof MJ's death.

Launched in 2000 at the Millennium Domein London, the annual IIFA awards have beenheld in 11 cities around the world, includingColombo, Macao, Bangkok, Dubai, Amsterdamand Johannesburg but never in India.

The idea, organizers said, is to present Bollywoodnot in its home country, but on aglobal stage. "We are building bridgesthrough cinema across communities throughoutthe world," said Sabbas Joseph, Directorof Wizcraft International, a Mumbai basedentertainment group which has produced theIIFAs. The award for best dialogue went toVishal Bharadwaj for the thriller Ishqiya andbest lyrics was bagged by Niranjan Iyengarfor My Name Is Khan for Sajda and Noor-e-Khuda. The award was accepted by KaranJohar on his behalf.

Anushka Sharma won for best leading femalerole for the romantic comedy BandBaaja Baraat, which marked the directingdebut of Maneesh Sharma. In addition, theactress and her co-star Ranveer Singh alsobagged the Star Plus hottest pair award forBand Baaja Baraat.

After accepting the best debut male awardfor his role in Band Baaja Baraat from veteranactor couple Rishi Kapoor and NeetuSingh, Ranveer Singh, said, "It is special tome as the award is presented by my idol.(But) it is just the beginning."Arjun Rampal and Prachi Desai won forbest supporting roles in the thriller Raajneetiand the gangster movie Once Upon A Time inMumbai, respectively. And the best storyaward was presented to Shivani Makhija forMy Name Is Khan.

Actor and singer Jermaine Jackson acknowledges fans on June 24, 2011during a green carpet event.

Actress Lisa Ray on thegreen carpet

Ritesh Deshmukh, who co-hosted the Indian film industry's glitziest awards show with Boman Irani, won best performance in a comic role in the Tamil film remake Housefull. "Who said award shows are not fixed?" he quipped. "If you host the awards show for four years, they give you an award."

Asha Bhosle was honored with the LifetimeAchievement award, while Dharmendra,who performed some of his hit songs at theglitzy ceremony, was honored by Shah RukhKhan and Ramesh Sippy for his contributionto the film industry.

Bipasha Basu's stunning performance.

Yesteryear siren Sridevi gives the Best Story award to Shibani Bhatijafor My Name is Khan.

Sonakshi Sinha performing at Toronto's Rogers' Center Stadium.

Actress Sharmila Tagore was handed theOutstanding Achievement award by ShabanaAzmi for forty years of her cinematic journeywhile actor Irrfan Khan was honored for hisOutstanding Achievement in Internationalcinema. Handing Sharmila Tagore the award,Shabana Azmi said: "I am honored to presentthis award to an actress for whom I have thehighest regard - a path-breaker, achiever, aperson who has been successful in everyavatar she has chosen."

Sharmila Tagore said the award was "sucha satisfying thing. It's fantastic. AfterDharamji, it is a tough act to follow."The nominations came from more than1,500 votes from the Indian film fraternity,reported agencies.

The gala movie premier kicked off withmobs of Indian dancers and dozens of Bollywoodsuperstars hounded by autograph-seekingfans at the venue. The three-day festivalbegan on June 23, 2011, with an address byhost and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuintyin which he vowed that all Westerners by theend of the IIFA celebrations "will know thenames of Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopraand Anil Kapoor just as well as AngelinaJolie, Johnny Depp and Rachel McAdams."

Ontario has the second largest Indian diasporain the world, topping 600,000 out of atotal population of 13 million, "and their passionfor Indian cinema has become ours (allOntarians) too," he added. Throughout theprovince, groups of Indian dancers spontaneouslyerupted into dance to help promotethe event.

Actor and singer Jermaine Jacksonacknowledges fans on June 24, 2011during a green carpet event.Yesteryear siren Sridevi gives theBest Story award to Shibani Bhatijafor My Name is Khan.

[ BY GAURI KUMAR ]