The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2024 was held in Abu Dhabi, showcasing the brightest stars of the Hindi film industry, including legends like Hema Malini, Rekha, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Vicky Kaushal, Shahid Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon, among others.
Shah Rukh Khan captivated the audience with his charismatic hosting, joined by co-hosts Vicky Kaushal and Karan Johar. Together, they delighted the crowd by dancing to his iconic hit song ‘Jhoome Jo Pathaan’.
At the awards ceremony, ‘Animal’ by Sandeep Reddy Vanga triumphed as the Best Film, while Shah Rukh Khan won Best Actor for ‘Jawan’. Rani Mukerji secured Best Actress for her performance in ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra was named Best Director for ‘12th Fail’. Anil Kapoor was honoured as Best Supporting Actor for ‘Animal’, with Shabana Azmi winning Best Supporting Actress for ‘Rocky Aur Rani’. Bobby Deol took home Best Actor in a Negative Role for ‘Animal’. ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ was awarded Best Story, and ‘12th Fail’ won Best Adapted Story. The film ‘Animal’ also dominated the music categories, claiming Best music, lyrics (Siddharth-Garima for "Satranga"), and male singer (Bhupinder Babbal for "Arjan Valley"). Shilpa Rao won Best female singer for "Chaleya." Special honours were given to Jayantilal Gada and Hema Malini for their Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema, while Karan Johar was recognised for his achievement in completing 25 years in cinema.
In his acceptance speech, Shah Rukh Khan graciously thanked fellow nominees Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, Vikrant Massey, Vicky Kaushal, and Sunny Deol, acknowledging their great performances.
He humorously noted, "I think I had an edge because people were happy I worked after so long." He also expressed gratitude to his wife Gauri, joking, "She may be the only wife spending more on her husband than the other way around," and reflected on the challenges they faced during ‘Jawan’, referencing the tough times surrounding the Aryan Khan case.
Jailer and PS-II are among big winners at IIFA Utsavam 2024
The IIFA Utsavam 2024 was held in Abu Dhabi, showcasing the biggest stars from the South Indian film industries. The evening's highlight was the announcement of the award winners. The event celebrated the talents of the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada film industries.
The evening was a glamorous affair, attended by luminaries such as Mani Ratnam, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Chiranjeevi, Nandamuri Balakrishna, AR Rahman, Rana Daggubati, and Venkatesh Daggubati.
The list of winners includes several notable achievements in Indian cinema: Best Picture (Tamil) went to ‘Jailer, while the best actor (Telugu) was awarded to Nani for ‘Dasara’ and Best Actor (Tamil) to Vikram for ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’. The best actress (Tamil) was won by Aishwarya Rai for her role in ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’, and best director (Tamil) was awarded to Mani Ratnam, also for ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’. The award for best music direction (Tamil) went to AR Rahman for the same film. Special recognitions included outstanding achievement in Indian cinema for Chiranjeevi and outstanding contribution to Indian cinema for Priyadarshan.
The award for ‘Woman of the Year in Indian Cinema’ was awarded to Samantha Ruth Prabhu. In the negative role categories, best performance in a negative role (Tamil) was given to SJ Suryah for ‘Mark Antony’, while Shine Tom Chacko won for ‘Dasara’ in the Telugu category, and Arjun Radhakrishnan took home the award for ‘Kannur Squad’ in Malayalam. For supporting roles, Jayaram won ‘Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Male – Tamil)’ for ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’, and Sahasra Shree won ‘Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Female – Tamil)’ for ‘Chithha’. Additionally, the ‘Golden Legacy Award’ went to Nandamuri Balakrishna, while Rishab Shetty was recognised for ‘Outstanding Excellence in Kannada Cinema’ and Aradhana Ram received the award for ‘Best Debut (Female – Kannada)’ for her performance in ‘Kaatera’.
