THE
IIFAs
International Indian FILM Academy WEEKEND
12
th
The International Indian Film Academy Awards
Lisa Haydon holds her own
2011
toronto June 23-25
The Enduring Magic
of Bollywood Bollywood
Gods & Goddesses 12 Years of Bollywood style
12 Best Dressed of the Year THE
ALMIGHTY
KAPOOR LEGACY IIFA EVENTS SCHEDULE
INSIDE
INSIDE LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Into the west
The 12-year history of IIFA is the story of Bollywood’s globalization in the new millennium. It’s a celebration of the world’s largest film industry finally breaking free of geographical and linguistic borders. As the NRI and PIO population increases, the South Asian diaspora consumes Bollywood movies with an increasing hunger. In tandem, and with a growing presence of Indian English in Hindi films, Bollywood is exploding in the West. It’s no secret that Bollywood already rules the planet in ticket sales. It’s been several decades since India overtook the US as the world’s largest film producer. But what we’ve witnessed in the last dozen years is Bollywood’s breach of “the final frontier” – North America – where Hindi films are finally infiltrating the mainstream. Heralded, in many ways, by the release of Lagaan 10 years ago, Hindi cinema’s conquest of the West meant that Anglo-Saxon audiences were starting to talk about Bollywood in the same breath as Hollywood. (Even this Indian adoption of a Western term, though lamentable in some ways, suggests global intent.) Lagaan, after all, was released in 70 cinemas here and landed an Oscar nomination. Admittedly, I was the only firang in the Woodside Cinema in Agincourt the day I saw Lagaan, but there was an undeniable pride in that audience, that Bollywood had truly arrived. Irreversibly. For many of us, Bollywood is a guilty pleasure. For others, it’s a religion. Either way, it’s pure obsession. Having South Asian ancestry matters not. The ability to understand Hindi, even less. (Let’s face it, zindagi, dil, pyaar, ishq aur mohabbat are universal in any language. And, as Raj Kapoor taught us, love and music are pretty much all we need.) In some ways I feel as if I’ve ‘grown up’ alongside IIFA, as my own personal conversion to Bollywood also happened 12 years ago (while backpacking round Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal on my first visit to the Subcontinent). The clincher, for me, was Taal. For weeks, from every bus and autorickshaw, I heard Ishq Bina Kya Jeena Yaaro. It became my soundtrack of India and my mission to find the source of this divine, bittersweet music. I finally found my answer in Rahman and Rai. All those Hindi flicks I’d watched as a kid on TV on Sunday mornings were starting to make sense.
The first thing I did when I returned to Toronto was to track down Taal on DVD. Even without subtitles, I was hypnotized. Well, blow me down if Aishwarya’s character didn’t burst free of her village roots and prove herself as an international singing sensation in Toronto – of all places – at the end of the film. My world had come full circle. Taal became the first Indian film to crack the US top 20, gave rise to the internationalization of Bollywood, and Rahman won Best Music Director for Taal at the first ever IIFA Awards. India’s most vital (and pukka) showcase of Hindi cinema abroad is now celebrating its 12th birthday. IIFA fever has gripped the city of Toronto (itself a sangam of East and West), with a global TV audience of 700 million bringing up the rear. Over the past 12 years, IIFA has grown from a one-day ceremony to a three-day weekend of filmy goodness. Inside these pages, we fête the best of the year on screen. So, what did we learn from 2010? Well, Salman Khan is the boss when it comes to creating pandemonium at the box office (with Dabangg), the 1970s are back in style (with the likes of Action Replayy and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai ) and the Kajol-SRK jodi is still a killer combo. Neetu and Rishi Kapoor also made a long overdue comeback in 2010, desi-themed films became sexy again, and the Golmaal brand clearly hasn’t lost its punch. Recurring non-traditional topics included single-parenting, divorce and suicide, but kismet ultimately prevailed thematically. And aside from the ubiquitous Sheila Ki Jawani, 2010 was also the year we witnessed a double-revival (thanks to Anjaana Anjaani and Golmaal 3) of Bappi Lahiri’s 1982 classic I Am a Disco Dancer ! Brilliant. Not unlike Holi, Bollywood’s masala is a unique confluence of conflicting hues and colour. While the juxtaposition of melodrama, tragedy, dance and slapstick can be challenging at times for a Western palate, it remains an appropriate representation of life. That song in Peepli Live says it all. “Sorrow and joy play hide-and-seek; one colour for the gifted, another for the cursed; it’s a clash of colours, each staking its own claim.” Bollywood is no longer an exotic curio for Western audiences, it seems, but a desired commodity. – Kendon Polak
B-Town on TV Bollywood Boulevard – Sundays at 11:30am and 8pm on OMNI 2 Bollywood Free Time Movies – Sundays at noon on OMNI 2 Bollywood Top Ten Best – Sundays at 8:30pm on OMNI 2
4
The Enduring Magic of Bollywood
6
Bollywood Style
10
Best Dressed of the Year
14
A Year on Screen
14
IIFA Voting Weekend
18
IIFA Award Nominations
20
The First Family of Indian Cinema
22
Screen Goddesses
26
Screen Gods
30
IIFA Events Schedule
THE IIFAs June 2011
editor-in-chief Kendon Polak
published by gd&c media (416) 323-2848
design Mamone & Partners
iifa 2011 toronto
art director Panos Katsigiannis executive producer Asha Hodura production director Maria Musikka contributors Taran Adarsh, Veronica Chail Sarita Mandanna, Doug O’Neill Aashish Rajhans, Mohit Rajhans fact-checker proofreader Andrea Emard production Sunnyside Studios: Ron Spencer, Gerry Long, Andy Smits publishing partner Mamone & Partners, Gerry Mamone publisher Geoff Dawe vp sales Donna Murphy account manager Sandra Peltier sales associate Alex Babaris marketing & promotions Heidi Ferris No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior consent of GD&C Media. The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or staff.
country partner Government of Ontario presenting sponsor “IIFA Celebrations in Toronto” – CIBC title sponsor “IIFA Awards” – Floriana title sponsor “IIFA Weekend” – Videocon d2h presenting sponsor “IIFA Rocks” – The Bay and Grey Goose canada presenting sponsor “IIFA World Premier” – Infiniti official airline partner Air India greening of the iifas sponsor Panasonic official cinema partner Cineplex official automotive partner Infiniti official make up partner MAC official hair stylist Marc Anthony wizcraft international Entertainment Singapore Pte Ltd founders Andre Timmins Sabbas Joseph Viraf Sarkari All images courtesy of Getty Images, unless otherwise credited.
cover image Model/Actor: Lisa Haydon Photographer: Rohan Shrestha Image courtesy of Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
International Indian Film Academy Awards 3
MAGIC THE ENDURING
OF BOLLYWOOD
My earliest memory of Bollywood is of bursting into tears. Loud, inconsolable tears. It was the Sunday movie on Doordarshan, and Ramu the elephant had just died on screen, in a rerun of Haathi Mere Saathi. My mother gently explained that it was only a movie; make-believe. I was having none of it. Hadn’t she just seen it happen? How could that possibly be unreal? “He’s dead, mama. He died.” So much of our personal history is dog-eared and referenced by movies seen and loved. My father, an innocent-faced recruit in the Indian Army, is pressed upon at the Officers Mess to sing a Hindi song and chooses Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein from Padosan. In good faith, with South Indian intonation, the young Captain pronounces “khidki” as “keedki,” sending his friends into gales of laughter and seeding a story that will be recounted for decades. My mother is considered a dead ringer for the lovely Vyjayanthimala Bali, kohl-rimmed eyes, lustrous skin and all. When she marries my father, the difference in their heights – he a leggy six foot and she all of 5’2” – coupled with reigning Sholay fever, sees them promptly dubbed the ‘Amitabh and Jaya’ of the battalion. I will have my seminal Sholay moment, too, but not until years later. Earlier to come are the evenings in the Army theatre and the memories they will provide. The theatre is a rudimentary structure: a large screen, brick and white-plaster walls that do not extend all the way to the corrugated roof, their gapped tops letting in the breeze and the stars. The movies shown are rarely the latest releases but, nonetheless, after each screening we remain preoccupied with it for weeks.
Those slow motion shots of the ’80s! There’s an entire generation of kids who have aspired to nothing less than slo-mo greatness, my sister and me included. We spend many, many hours leaping into the air as slooooowly as we can, trying not to trip over the dupattas wound around our waists or smash face-first into the peepal tree. Until, one evening, Masoom is screened – and, just like that, we have a host of new fixations. That song! “You kaddu! You tinda!” We don’t quite get the plot of the movie, just who that adorable boy is, or why he suddenly has to stay with this particular family. Still, we wondered, didn’t we have a photogenic cousin? A random relative who could come live with us? Was she sure, we pestered our mother, that our father did not have any boys like that tucked away who could come stay? Years later, I’m in Hong Kong, wandering down Nathan Road in pursuit of Indian food. Suddenly, Lakdi ki kathi, kathi ka ghoda – the song from Masoom – wafts from an open window, down that crowded street, stopping me in my tracks. I’m transported in an instant. My sister and I, romping on our lawn as we belt out that song, our black-eared spaniel filling in for Jugal Hansraj. The dog has long since died, my sister and I now live in different countries, and even Jugal has had his leading-man début, but when that song plays the years melt away. That’s when it hits me – the potency of Bollywood! The movies, the music... No matter where you are in the world, they can take you home. My Sholay moment? It happens not in India, but while at Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania. Sholay is being screened on
4 International Indian Film Academy Awards
IMAGES Courtesy of Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
BOLLYWOOD REDUCES us to tears and to laughter, through song and dance, tamasha and gundagiri, via boy-meets-girl and good-conquersall, as only our Bollywood can.
campus as part of a film appreciation course. I slide into a chair, not quite sure what to expect. Sholay is perhaps the most beloved movie in the history of Bollywood; will it prove over-hyped? The opening credits roll. For the next three hours, I sit entranced. I’m back in India: the sounds, the colours, that particular slant of the light. Basanti. Yeh Dosti. Gabbar Singh! The movie ends, there is a beat of silence and then we all start thunderously applauding. Sholay magic. I get it, Sambha, I finally get it. I move to New York City as Bollywood starts to filter into the mainstream. What a thrill it is to be able to call my First-Day-First-Show-NoProblem-if-Front-Row sister and crow because I caught a new release before she did! Shah Rukh, the zaniness of Farah Khan... on the big screen in the very heart of Times Square! Lagaan makes it to the Oscars. There are jokes on how to teach white boys to dance to Bollywood music: have them raise their arms, as if screwing in light bulbs. Maahi Ve! I am asked for movie recommendations – a colleague loves the poetic composition of Guru Dutt’s sets, another cannot stop talking about Omkara. No longer just an escape hatch to home, Bollywood becomes a platform from which to explain home.
India and Bollywood, India’s Bollywood, Bollywood India – are increasingly talked of in the same breath, substituted for one another in populist imagination; a new form of cultural shorthand. A telling instance of this happens one Saturday night. I’m in the elevator of my apartment building when a rather drunk gentleman enters. He is eager to strike up a conversation and is obviously casting about for something to say. It isn’t easy – he can barely string his thoughts together, let alone words. “Bollywood!” he bursts out at last. “Sorry?” I reply. “You’re Indian,” he mumbles sheepishly. He rubs his forehead. “India... you know... Bollywood...” I cannot help but smile. “I know. Bollywood.” – Sarita Mandanna
Sarita Mandanna is the author of Tiger Hills, a début novel that hit #1 in India last year and was longlisted for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize. Sarita was named one of the top début novelists to watch by London’s Daily Telegraph. Tiger Hills is scheduled to be published in 18 countries, and is now available in Canada.
12 years of
BOLLYWOOD
Big, bold and embellished haute-couture Bollywood creations are the stuff of dreams. Wrapping yourself in some of these stunning and glamorous pieces is a lot like falling in love – giving you that hyper, I’ve-had-waytoo-much-coffee feeling. Bollywood fashion collections are wearable pieces of art – with a whole lot of sparkle and shimmer. With their rich colours, decadent fabrics and meticulous embroidery, Bollywood’s couture designs have won praise for their regal splendour. Little wonder, then, that they’ve become major hits on the red and green carpets, adorning Bollywood and Hollywood royalty and drawing major attention globally. Just think about how many costume changes take place in a Bollywood flick. Dozens! So it’s no surprise that millions blindly follow Bollywood fashion icons and trends – hairstyles, makeup, accessories and wardrobe. From Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas to this year’s IIFA-nominated Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, each film is a fashion brand in its own right, creating a new and exclusive fashion statement every time it hits the silver screen. And over the past decade, the costume designers of the largest film industry in the world have been making a major impact on Western style as well. The recent shape of the market has created an avenue for Bollywood fashion heavyweights to design, from the outset, for an international market. Trends and styles are borderless, and North America continues to be in the middle of a fusion fashion craze. From bindis, mehndi and tikkas to saris, lehengas, suits and kurtas – it looks as if the world has become Bollywood-savvy in a big way. These days, saris can be downright revealing and seductive. Saris reflect tradition, style and grace. It’s the most graceful traditional Indian outfit. In the last few years, people have started making the switch to the ready-to-wear sari (as there is no trouble involved in wearing it). After all, the wrapping part is already done for you. Diehard traditionalists worry that the trend is harming Indian culture. But with widespread acceptance,
this trend is catching on like never before, and more people are able to experience the pleasure of wearing a readymade or ‘automatic’ sari minus the headache of wrapping four to nine metres of fabric. It’s ingenious! Some of India’s most prominent designers, including Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, JJ Valaya, Vikram Phadnis, Neeta Lulla, Ranna Gill, Rocky S, Ritu Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Wendell Rodricks, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Manav Gangwani have revolutionized the fashion industry. They’ve been able to elevate India in the eyes of the mainstream fashion force and their designs appeal to people from every corner of the globe. They’re masters at combining modern sensibilities and India’s most intricate textile legacy. And fashion ringleaders and pundits can’t get enough. Bollywood’s elegance lives on in its leading ladies... Zeenat Aman, Mumtaz, Dimple Kapadia, Sharmila Tagore, Parveen Babi, Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, Shabana Azmi, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif have shaped styles and trends, and pushed boundaries. And let’s not forget the gentlemen who’ve not been afraid to sport a riot of colours – most recently, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar. As Bollywood fashion continues to define eras, clothing can tell us a great deal about social and cultural values in a given period. India saw sweeping fashion and lifestyle changes in the 1960s that reflected the political climate. The decade was full of defiance and celebration, identity and freedom. The ’70s, of course, remains one of the most revisited eras where fashion became another form of self-expression, and bold colours with flower prints were adapted for tunics, saris and suits. The ’80s was the period of self-consciousness when silhouettes became more masculine and the salwar kameez was made with shoulder pads. And the ’90s was a period of extremes – from anti-fashion to “anything goes,” a trend that continues today.
6 International Indian Film Academy Awards
Fashion designers often seek to emulate bygone styles in their collections and we continue to embrace the traditional, vintage, retro styles from years past. Similar to international ‘fashion week’ destinations like Paris, New York and Milan, India now boasts two massive fashion extravaganzas, Lakmé Fashion Week and Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. Bollywood-inspired pieces are becoming a staple in the closets of celebrities, celebutantes and your everyday fashionista. Western pop culture is putting the spotlight on this glamorous and lavish industry like never before. Globalization has put a drastic spin on the fashion industry; we now live in a much smaller world and share more intimate details of our lifestyles than ever before. Fashion is a visual language understood by many but uniquely communicated by individuals separately. The blurring of cultural lines has brought a new wave of creativity and self-expression. Big-screen Bollywood styles (and the iconic figures who wear them so well) continue to inspire, provoke and, in many ways, document Bollywood’s rich culture and history. And as a new century of fashion continues to evolve, it tempts us to dream and embrace the past. – Veronica Chail Veronica Chail is the host of Bollywood Boulevard on OMNI Television and a former TV producer at the CBC. The self-confessed fashion and pop-culture junkie has interviewed the biggest names in Bollywood, Hollywood and politics. Follow Veronica on Twitter @veronicachail.
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STYLE
Cinematic style has always been in fashion. In fact, it may just be Bollywood’s most enduring and romantic love story. Ever since the silent movie era, fashion and film have enjoyed a synchronous relationship that has only grown tighter throughout the decades.
dressed OF THE BEST
YEAR
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Aishwarya is a bonafide international superstar – flawless, timeless and the epitome of mesmerizing beauty. She’s a designer’s dream in her couture gowns and ultrafeminine attire, and a total knockout in this violet blue fully embroidered tulle and mousseline gown by Elie Saab. Aishwarya has defined eras and made the world more glamorous. Little wonder she is idolized by generations of women – and men!
Commentary by Veronica Chail
KANGNA RANAUT
LARA DUTTA
SONAM KAPOOR
Let’s just say bombshell. Lara is glamorous, edgy and oozes class. Her chic style is a mark of her charming personality. The former Miss Universe is proof that beauty and intelligence are not mutually exclusive. The Housefull star is donning a producer’s hat these days while running her own production company. Like her career, Lara’s versatile fashion sense is what keeps her at the top of the fashion world.
Kangna is a style diva, showing off her ladylike side in this vintage-inspired oneshoulder shimmering ensemble. Like her screen characters, Kangna’s style is versatile. She reaffirmed her reputation in 2010 as a style-setting star in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai with her ’70s-inspired glamour. Kangna loves to have fun with fashion and never shies away from experimenting with bold colours and statement pieces.
Sonam keeps it feminine and sophisticated with this flirty floral number, slightly oversized plain bottoms and a colourful handbag. Like her character in the film Aisha, this young actress is a true trendsetter who knows that beauty is in the details. Her youthful sensibility is inspiring. She is fun, classy and unpredictable. And Sonam always manages to add a shot of sexiness to her ultra-sweet style.
dia mirza IMAGE COURTESY OF WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT LTD.
jacqueline fernandez DIA MIRZA Dia scores high in style with this bold, ’70s-inspired draped asymmetrical belted geometric print dress. The model and actress usually rocks a casual chic style. And like her assortment of film appearances, her look is fun, funky, natural and refreshing. Dia has the confidence to carry off a minimalist look quite effortlessly.
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This Sri Lankan model and actress never fails to turn heads while showcasing her fun, flirty and fashionforward style. Her sweet silhouette sizzles in a yellow beaded Georges Hobeika mini (paired with strappy silver heels). Last year, the starlet walked home with the Best Female Début IIFA for her starring role alongside Amitabh Bachchan in Aladin.
KATRINA KAIF Katrina is a glamazon! She has an enviable figure and knows how to show it off. Case in point: the item song Sheila Ki Jawani and in this layered sexy LBD. She is a chic and classy star with an edgy and seductive twist. Two years ago, not surprisingly, Katrina picked up an IIFA Style Diva of the Year award.
KAREENA KAPOOR
PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Kareena is Bollywood royalty, and she knows how to dress the part. This black and silver sheer sari is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Whether it be in a film like Golmaal 3 or on the hottest carpets, Kareena infuses everything with charisma (and a dash of girly-ness). She’s got great genes, sure, but her sense of style is all her own invention.
Priyanka is a screen goddess who reigns with glamour. The former Miss World shows off her lean legs in this strapless Christian Dior gown with a thigh-high slit. The 2009 IIFA Best Actress winner (for her role as a supermodel in Fashion) is one actress who knows how to break out of her comfort zone with daring fashion choices, movie-star confidence and signature style.
Malaika Arora Khan Nothing says sexy like Malaika. Just think about her sizzling hot Munni Badnaam Hui item number in Dabangg. The superchic Malaika looked exquisite at last year’s IIFA Awards in a romantic strapless flowing light green gown. Her work on screen has proven time and again that she has all the right moves when it comes to fashion.
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DEEPIKA PADUKONE
ANUSHKA SHARMA Hello pretty girl-nextdoor! Ever since her big-screen début in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in 2008, Anushka has captivated audiences with her talent and her minimalist aesthetic. She often opts for classic pieces to complement her polished look. Here Anushka glows in a city-sleek embellished cropped blazer. This look showcases her cozy and stylish fashion sense at its best.
Deepika is every designer’s muse. Here she is absolutely radiant in a Rohit Bal sari. Deepika caught our attention with her charming beauty in Om Shanti Om four years ago – and there was simply no looking back for this model turned actress. The statuesque star is often praised for her poise, her impeccable fashion sense and timeless appeal.
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A YEAR ON
SCREEN
Desi films strike gold at the box office in 2010 Notice this. Most of the movies that worked at the box office this year were desi films. They either featured characters from small towns or villages, or had a rural backdrop. Until now, most filmmakers were of the opinion that the multiplex junta prefers urban themes, while desi subjects and characters worked with a tiny minority at smaller centres. But the audience proved them wrong yet again. Take the case of Dabangg, the biggest hit of the year. It has a rural backdrop and its protagonist, Chulbul Pandey, is an uncouth and brash character. But the film worked big-time at plexes as well as on single screens. Ditto for Ishqiya, which is set in a village, and Peepli Live, which depicts a rural community. Udaan, too, is about a father-and-son relationship in small-town India, while Tere Bin Laden throws light on a Bin Laden lookalike residing in a hamlet. Even Raajneeti is set in the heartland of India.
Do Dooni Chaar and Band Baaja Baaraat, though set in Delhi, feature characters that a desi audience can relate to, while Phas Gaye Re Obama has a smalltown backdrop. This doesn’t imply that urban themes didn’t find acceptance this year. They did. But the point to be noted is that desi films ruled the roost in 2010. – Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is a film critic, journalist and TV host in Mumbai. He writes for Bollywood Hungama, the ultimate website for Hindi movies. He is the son of film director/producer BK Adarsh. Follow Taran on Twitter @taran_adarsh.
In the small industrial town of Jamshedpur, Rajat Barmecha plays an adolescent who breaks the shackles of his tyrannical father in the disturbing Udaan.
ALL-STAR
THE
VOTING WEEKEND
Rakht Charitra star Vivek Oberoi casts his vote
Kareena Kapoor with producer/director Karan Johar
Kareena Kapoor leads Bollywood to the ballot box
Guzaarish star Hrithik Roshan makes his selections
Last year’s Best Début winner Jackky Bhagnani
Ishqiya composer/writer/producer Vishal Bhardwaj
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Last year’s Best Villain winner Boman Irani
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Raajneeti star Arjun Rampal
The credibility of the voting process has always been a defining cornerstone of the IIFA Awards, which is stringently monitored by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the official auditors also responsible for ensuring secrecy at the Oscars every year. This guaranteed secrecy, amid PwC’s transparent methodology, is what sets IIFA apart from other Indian film award ceremonies. Kareena Kapoor kicked off the three-day Voting Weekend in Mumbai by casting the first vote on March 4. An astounding 1,500 industry members followed suit, breaking all previous turnout records. It was humbling for IIFA to witness the Bollywood fraternity come together in such volume. “It is a great privilege that has been bestowed upon me,” says Kareena. “IIFA has set a high standard with its voting procedure and hence established a benchmark for excellence and credibility.” The industry vote determines the winners of the Technical Awards and the nominations shortlist for the Popular Awards, whose winners are determined by a public internet vote that’s offered globally. Winners are revealed amid tight security at the awards ceremony in Toronto on Saturday June 25, when the envelopes are opened onstage, before a live TV audience. – Kendon Polak
IIFA AWARD
NOMINATIONS BEST FILM Band Baaja Baaraat Dabangg My Name Is Khan Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Raajneeti
BEST DIRECTION Band Baaja Baaraat – Maneesh Sharma Dabangg – Abhinav Kashyap Guzaarish – Sanjay Leela Bhansali My Name Is Khan – Karan Johar Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Milan Luthria Udaan – Vikramaditya Motwane
Performance In A Leading Role – Male Dabangg – Salman Khan Guzaarish – Hrithik Roshan My Name Is Khan – Shah Rukh Khan Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Ajay Devgn Raajneeti – Ranbir Kapoor
Performance In A Leading Role – FEMale Band Baaja Baaraat – Anushka Sharma Golmaal 3 – Kareena Kapoor Guzaarish – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Ishqiya – Vidya Balan Raajneeti – Katrina Kaif
Performance In A Supporting Role – FEMale Aisha – Amrita Puri Dabangg – Dimple Kapadia Golmaal 3 – Ratna Pathak Shah Guzaarish – Shernaz Patel Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Prachi Desai
Performance In A COMIC Role Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? – Paresh Rawal Golmaal 3 – Johny Lever Housefull – Riteish Deshmukh No Problem – Anil Kapoor Tere Bin Laden – Pradhuman Singh Mall
Performance In A NEGATIVE Role
Allah Ke Banday – Naseeruddin Shah Dabangg – Sonu Sood Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Emraan Hashmi Raajneeti – Manoj Bajpayee Udaan – Ronit Roy
MUSIC DIRECTION Band Baaja Baaraat – Salim – Sulaiman Dabangg – Sajid – Wajid & Lalit Pandit I Hate Luv Storys – Vishal – Shekhar Ishqiya – Vishal Bhardwaj My Name Is Khan – Shankar Ehsaan Loy Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Pritam
BEST STORY
Golmaal 3 – Mithun Chakrobarty Ishqiya – Arshad Warsi Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Emraan Hashmi Raajneeti – Arjun Rampal Raajneeti – Manoj Bajpayee
Band Baaja Baaraat – Maneesh Sharma Ishqiya – Abhishek Chaubey My Name Is Khan – Shibani Bhatija Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Rajat Aroraa Udaan – Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane
Band Baaja Baaraat – Amitabh Bhattacharya Dabangg – Faaiz Anwar Ishqiya – Gulzar My Name Is Khan – Niranjan Iyengar Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Irshad Kamil
PLAYBACK SINGER – MALE Break Ke Baad – Vishal Dadlani Dabangg – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan I Hate Luv Storys – Shafqat Amanat Ali Ishqiya – Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Karthik Calling Karthik – Shankar Mahadevan Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Mohit Chauhan
PLAYBACK SINGER – FEMALE Band Baaja Baaraat – Sunidhi Chauhan Dabangg – Mamta Sharma I Hate Luv Storys – Shreya Ghoshal Ishqiya – Rekha Bhardwaj Tees Maar Khan – Sunidhi Chauhan
SCREENPLAY Dabangg – Dilip Shukla, Abhinav Kashyap Guzaarish – Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhavani Iyer Ishqiya – Abhishek Chaubey, Sabrina Dhawan, Vishal Bhardwaj My Name Is Khan – Shibani Bathija Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Rajat Aroraa Raajneeti – Anjum Rajabali, Prakash Jha
DIALOGUE Band Baaja Baaraat – Habib Faisal Dabangg – Dilip Shukla, Abhinav Kashyap Ishqiya – Vishal Bhardwaj Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai – Rajat Aroraa Raajneeti – Prakash Jha
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Performance In A Supporting Role – Male
LYRICS
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Four generations of the illustrious Kapoor clan have presided over the Movie Capital of the World for 80 years.
Rishi, Ranbir and Neetu
To a large extent, Bollywood remains a family business, as the filmmaking gene continues to be carried down through bloodlines like a monarchy. When the father of the almighty Kapoor dynasty, Prithviraj, started performing in films in 1929, Hindi cinema was shunned and despised in India. Local movies were just something silly to keep the illiterate masses amused and off the streets. Far from being an acceptable career choice, Hindi cinema was actually a source of shame and embarrassment to respectable society. Oh, the big bad world of Bollywood! Over the course of the next 50 years, Hindi cinema helped define nationalism, independence and India’s sense of self-worth, ultimately dominating global movie production by the 1970s. Holding sway over Bombay’s movie industry throughout the past 80 years were the descendents of Prithviraj – three subsequent generations rising to fame as prominent actors, directors and producers. All three of Prithviraj’s sons became actors – one of whom, Raj, opened his own studio and dominated the industry for four decades. Like father like son, all three of Raj’s sons also became
actors – Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv. Both of Randhir’s daughters, Karisma and Kareena, dutifully became actors, as did Rishi’s son, Ranbir. During this month’s IIFA celebrations, two generations of RK descendents will come together in Toronto on June 26 to open a six-week Raj Kapoor retrospective at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. “Our father was a great man, both in his personal and professional life,” says Rishi. “He has made a place for himself in the hearts of cinema lovers all over India.” Here we honour the magnitude of RK’s influence over Bollywood history and celebrate the standout movie performances that Rishi, Kareena and Ranbir have given over the past year, as each continues to bolster and elevate the Kapoor legacy into Indian cinema’s second century.
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The First Family of Indian Cinema
The Show-Man The legendary Raj Kapoor. patriarch of Indian cinema.
Raj Kapoor was the first Indian to become a film superstar, and probably remains the biggest that Bollywood has ever produced. More than an actor, director, screenwriter, songwriter and producer, Raj was Bollywood’s quintessential showman – extravagant, flamboyant and complex. Between 1935 and the mid-’80s, he performed in about 70 films (starting at the age of 11), thoroughly dominating Hindi cinema for four decades. His on-screen tramp character, sitting dejected on the pavement, remains to this day an abiding image of Hindi cinema. The Chaplinesque fellow struck a chord in socialist, Nehruvian India, where Raj’s movies summed up the mood of a nation. The socio-political system was under enormous stress as thousands of migrants poured into cities. What Raj saw in Chaplin’s “little man” was his own countryman – downtrodden, like a street dog. The hobo, the common man, beaten down through no fault of his own. The tramp was also a political animal, an underdog who cried out against class distinction and the inequitable distribution of wealth. But this was a very gentle rebel. He may be poor and destitute, but buoyant and full of life. This, for Raj, was the essence of independent India – a far cry from Utopia, but wrapped in promise. It was during the early years of post-Partition India that Raj introduced the tramp, holding up a mirror to his fellow countrymen in his 1951 film Awaara. Raj saw the film as an allegory for the innocence of the new Republic, not yet four years old, and the film, he said, “bloomed like a lotus in the mud.” It broke the box office in India, was nominated for the Grand Prize at Cannes, and found an international audience in the Arabic world, Turkey, Iran, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. It also became a cult favourite in China. Raj’s films found great appeal beyond his own culture, introducing the outside world to the first of Bollywood’s masala entertainments – a hodgepodge of simplistic storylines, intense melodrama, toe-tapping songs, romance, comedy and crime. “I am not making films for drawing-room conversation,” he said. “I am making films to entertain the millions of this country.” His films ushered in the Bollywood star system. He’d mortgaged everything to set up his own film house in 1948 and was determined to prove to his father that he’d be successful without his dad’s help. Raj did not even pass his matriculation exam, tantamount to being deemed illiterate. At the age of 24, Raj became the youngest film director in India. – Kendon Polak
– Kendon Polak
Proudly Celebrating the 20 International Indian Film Academy Awards
Ranbir Kapoor Chalk it up to DNA. It’s hard to imagine Ranbir Kapoor in any profession other than acting; his parents, uncles, grandfather and two great-uncles were filmmakers. Those family connections may have opened doors but the 28-year-old Ranbir has worked hard. With Raajneeti, he has cemented his position in Hindi cinema for executing a character portrayal that has been aptly described by many as “Rajiv Gandhi meets Don Corleone.” Ranbir plays a poetry-loving academic who, after the murder of his father, taps into a latent political shrewdness to beat out his rivals – from his own family! – in a blood-soaked battle for power. Like character, like actor. You can never defy genetic make-up.
Rishi Kapoor Ever since piercing our hearts with the hit film Bobby in 1973, and introducing us to his signature dancing style, Rishi Kapoor has remained relevant while other actors of his generation have long since called it quits. In 2010, Do Dooni Chaar showcased a seasoned Rishi in the role of Papa Duggal, a man with the simple dream of wanting the basic luxuries in later life while family obligations impede his every attempt. Reuniting with real-life wife Neetu Singh (who enjoyed a stellar Bollywood career in the ’70s), Rishi brings a natural blend of comedy and sincerity to a simple yet determined character. The Kapoor family tradition is considered the blueprint for Bollywood. Like his brothers, Randhir and Rajiv, Rishi has carved out a successful career and strong fan base, similar to that of his father. And Rishi’s plans for the next few years suggest no sign of a slowdown.
– Doug O’Neill
– Mohit Rajhans
Kareena Kapoor Still with Zoobi Doobi lodged in our heads from Kareena’s 2009 runaway masala hit 3 Idiots, we welcome back last year’s Best Actress IIFA winner to celebrate her equally raucous performance in Golmaal 3, which is indeed a messy hodgepodge of confusion and mayhem. We’d expected nothing less. Looking as sexy and gorgeous as ever (needless to say), Bebo fully embraces her inner-monkey in G-3, injecting her tough-girl tomboy character with a contagious sense of fun, breaking into dance at a moment’s notice (excellent!) and ramping-up her trademark come-hither glances and mischievous winks to the audience. As the only girl, surrounded by five dudes with ’tudes, Bebo is every inch the cat who ate the canary.
While we also enjoyed her (off-screen-inspired) on-screen charisma with ex-partner Shahid Kapoor in the overdue, kismet-themed drama Milenge Milenge (which finally saw the light of day last year), it was Babe-Oh’s solemn performance as the innocentbystander “other woman” opposite Kajol in We Are Family that cemented her status as serious actress. Début director Siddharth Malhotra carefully harnessed powerful performances from two equally strong and popular actresses. They might violently lock horns, but jointly impart an essential, and very female, heart. – Kendon Polak
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Aishwarya rai bachchan After 40 movies and 17 years in the spotlight, our reigning Queen Ash remains on top of her game and as fresh as the morning wind – still the poster girl for global Hindi cinema and Bollywood’s eternal passport to the West. While downplaying her high-profile marriage, the dutiful Bachchan bahu is firing on all cylinders on screen, proving that marriage does not, of course, by definition, sound the death knell for a Bollywood actress’s career. Four feature releases last year, over a five-month period, is impressive by anyone’s standard. Throwing herself off a cliff edge in Mani Ratnam’s stylish psycho-drama Raavan provided one of the year’s most striking movie images. She spends half the film blindfolded, gagged, tied to a tree or imprisoned at the bottom of a well, and still manages to convince us of her abductor’s hidden compassion – helping redefine good and evil in the process. In S Shankar’s futuristic, multi-linguistic, robo-sapien sci-fi extravaganza Endhiran, Aishwarya’s heavenly touch manages to transform a metallic robot into an emotional basket case. Even machines fall in love with this woman! The ladki-pataoing continued, last year, in
the slapstick comedy Action Replayy, with a groovy disco-fied time warp back to 1975 and a deliciously tongue-in-cheek performance as a bickering, highly strung shopaholic who needs reminding of why she got married to her dimwit husband. (And we thought that Sophia Loren was gorgeous...) While her curious choice of roles certainly suggests a serious sense of the absurd, it was Aishwarya’s third collaboration with Devdas director Sanjay Leela Bhansali that sealed the deal for 2010. Guzaarish may not have set the box office ablaze with its highly sensitive subject matter, but the exquisitely photographed (and intricately art-directed) magnum opus provides a rare platform truly deserving of Aishwarya’s singular, porcelainperfect elegance. The gentle unravelling of her stern physicality – “marble on the outside, pure granite inside” – finds its apex when Aishwarya finally takes off those silly spectacles, breaks from character and takes to the stage with Udi Tere Aankhoin Se, unleashing a showstopping sensuality. Nurse, friend, lover, wife. It’s hard to imagine that we’ve yet seen the best of this highly driven professional. – Kendon Polak
anushka sharma One can’t help but wonder if the feisty Anushka consciously channelled bits of herself into her portrayal of Shruti, the strong-willed, no-nonsense young wedding planner in Band Baaja Baaraat. The 23-year-old is no stranger to discipline or hard work, being the daughter of an army colonel and having studied at Army Public School. The Bangalore native carved out a successful modelling career before setting her sights on the movie world, making her screen début in Aditya
Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (playing a housewife) and following up with last year’s Badmaash Company (playing a chic shoe smuggler). On screen as Shruti, Anushka projects a refreshing confidence coupled with a thinly disguised vulnerability, which makes her character even more believable when her guiding principle that “love and business never mix” finally crumbles. Best of all: Anushka’s BBB dance numbers with Ranveer Singh are incredible.
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– Doug O’Neill
deepika padukone
At 5 foot 9 and looking fine, Deepika is one tall drink of water, making big strides in Bollywood ever since her grand début in the hit film Om Shanti Om four years ago. Diverse roles in romantic comedies and political dramas have proven that this long-legged beauty is not just another pretty face. Last year’s Housefull was a box office hit for Deepika, leaving little to the imagination with those sexy bikini shots and sizzling beach-sand dance numbers. Break Ke Baad, meanwhile, gave her a chance to showcase a very hip and modern sensibility. And, aside from the new haircut, it was hard to ignore Deepika’s clever performance and comedic timing in the offbeat thriller Karthik Calling Karthik. “When I’m not shooting, I’m a homebody,” she says. “I like to just hang out at home and watch TV and do nothing.” It’s almost impossible to believe that this lovable, sexy and toned actress is able to stay in such good shape by watching TV and eating. “If you want to keep me happy,” she says, “all you have to do is feed me.” – Mohit Rajhans
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2010 represents a ‘comeback’ of sorts for Kajol, whose popularity has not diminished despite her motherhood sabbatical and the fact that she’s no longer a gossip-mill and magazine-cover mainstay. The recent Padma Shri recipient finally put us out of our misery, last year, with a long-awaited on-screen reunion with Shah Rukh Khan, her most famous, fruitful and enduring movie partner. Not since Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in 2001 (the highestgrossing Indian film abroad – for five years) have SRK and Kajol shared the screen. Their alchemy was sorely missed. How appropriate that Karan was the lynchpin of their reunion. His most ambitious film to date, the heavy-handed morality tale My Name Is Khan, became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in the evergrowing overseas market. Kajol’s magical smile had us hooked within seconds. Playing a divorced, single mother in a movie that conspicuously sidesteps big song-and-dance routines, Kajol provided the emotional ballast for SRK’s frenzied tour de force. Kajol credits her offscreen friendship with SRK for providing an essential ingredient to the couple’s onscreen chemistry – honesty. A similar honesty at the heart of Kajol’s performance in last year’s Karan-produced We Are Family enabled us to see beyond a character that was difficult to embrace, not essentially likeable, and way too easy to pity. Kajol’s sweet-and-sour portrait of a terminally ill mother helped raise the film from predictable, manipulative tearjerker to surprisingly thoughtprovoking tearjerker.
kangna ranaut It didn’t take long for this charismatic head-turner to carve a niche for herself in Bollywood. What sets Kangna apart is her ability to utterly transform herself through an enormous variety of characters – from a drug-addicted supermodel in Fashion to last year’s seductive 1970s starlet Rehana in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, modelling her character after iconic ’70s actresses like Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman. While we loved Rehana’s loud costumes and outrageous hairstyles, Kangna also showcased a wonderful chemistry with Ajay Devgn. Her ability to seamlessly traverse comedy, action and drama is why directors are so eager to cast Kangna. Although Knock Out lacked punch at the box office last year, we witnessed a broader taste of Kangna’s versatility – as a crimefighting reporter who needs to tone down the sex appeal to be taken seriously. And though her role in Kites was not the focal point of the film’s marketing and promotion, Kangna is a definite highlight, proving to be an excellent dancing match for Hrithik Roshan. – Mohit Rajhans
– Kendon Polak
katrina kaif After 2010, most people are calling her ‘Bollywood Ki Jawani’ – with reference to her hit item number Sheila Ki Jawani from Tees Maar Khan. Not only was this song considered a monster hit in Bollywood, but desis around the world studied Katrina’s on-screen charisma and danced her dance at every celebration. This London expat continues to build a strong fan base, and her renewed single status has only fuelled this. Katrina’s scaled-down physical transformation for the role of the politician Indu in Raajneeti marked a departure from her glamorous Bollywood style. Her unflinching and daring characterization gave us an entirely new perspective on her acting abilities. Katrina is a trailblazer in Bollywood, being one of the few successful NRI performers to make it big. (She must be doing something right if she has her own signature Barbie doll already.) Katrina has also managed to keep her personal life in check and remain committed to focusing on her career. That diligence has paid off. We love seeing this starlet shine, and we don’t mind her hip-shaking, either! – Mohit Rajhans
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kajol
lisa haydon Lisa Haydon was a 21-year-old knockout eating her hamburger in McDonald’s when the fashion world discovered her. Newly back in India (she was born in Chennai but had lived for many years in Australia and the US), the exquisite beauty quickly ascended to supermodel status. Lisa has since graced the covers of numerous magazines (including Elle, Harper’s and Verve) and was recently described as “India’s sexiest new pin-up” by FHM magazine. In her début film, Aisha, Lisa proves that she’s more than a fashionista, holding her own on screen while romancing both Abhay Deol and Arunoday Singh. Next up for Lisa is a role in the David Dhawan comedy Rascals, starring Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn and Kangna Ranaut (opening in August). – Doug O’Neill
sonakshi sinha Appearing opposite a Bollywood veteran in your first movie would give most newcomers unimaginable jitters. Not so, apparently, for Sonakshi Sinha, who plays the coy and shy Rajo, Salman Khan’s love interest, in Dabangg. But don’t credit theatre school for the 24-yearold’s obvious ease in the public eye. Much of that comes from her upbringing. The daughter of an actor/politician father and a movie-production maven mother, Sonakshi has enjoyed a successful modelling career, having twice walked the boards at the Lakmé Fashion Week. Sonakshi infuses her Dabangg role with a quiet resolve, eschewing any temptation for high drama. She artfully plays off Salman’s high-octane antics, and has already won several awards for her Dabangg début. Post-Dabangg roles have placed her alongside Akshay Kumar (in Joker) and Kamal Hassan (in Viswaroopam). Not bad for a relative newcomer! – Doug O’Neill
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neetu kapoor The beautiful, charming and effervescent Neetu (Singh) started her Hindi cinema career as a child artist (known as Baby Sonia) before stealing the hearts of moviegoers everywhere in the 1970s. Most recognized for her 11 film pairings with Rishi Kapoor, with whom she fell in love and married in 1980, Neetu is today also known as the mother of young heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor. 2010 proved to be a very rewarding year for both Neetu and Rishi, who made a comeback reunion in the critically acclaimed Do Dooni Chaar, proving to the world that they can still create magic together on the silver screen. Neetu’s role as the wife of a math teacher trying to make ends meet proves that she still has that special touch and, despite her long absence from films, can still dance up a storm. Not to mention that she appears to be getting younger with age! – Aashish Rajhans
priyanka chopra She accidentally fell off a bridge and nearly drowned in Pyaar Impossible and then intentionally tried to jump off a bridge to kill herself in Anjaana Anjaani. Destiny intervened in both instances, of course, as the men who ultimately saved the day both turned out to be Priyanka’s kismet soul mate. Could a love story be any more perfect in its counterpoise and symmetry? At the moment you stare death in the face, you intersect with the singular spirit – a perfect stranger – that can provide your reason for living. We all love happy endings, let’s be honest. It’s the very reason sunsets exist. (And it’s probably the reason that Bollywood exists.) Pranks is no exception to the rule. She’s a self-confessed mush, who loves ‘love’ – everything about being in love, and the whole
idea of love. And her bridge-top pranks in both films dovetail nicely with her personal belief that “love doesn’t happen depending on whether I know the person or I don’t know the person.” Tellingly, the former Miss World cites the 1995 SRK-Kajol film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge as her all-time favourite love story. Kajol dreams of falling in love with a total stranger and then meets SRK on a train station platform. Not surprisingly, DDLJ remains the longestrunning film in the history of Indian cinema. In 2010, Piggy Chops gave us two powerhouse performances as two struggling NRIs (both physically beautiful, but lost) in two very life-affirming films. Oh, and did I mention those two legs of hers?
sonam kapoor
– Kendon Polak
vidya balan The smouldering Vidya never fails to deliver on screen, even if the box office occasionally disagrees. Last year’s IIFA Best Actress winner can nonetheless boast a steady stream of handsome box-office performers since landing the IIFA Best Female Début for Parineeta five years ago. In 2010 we fell in ‘ishq’ with the sexy Southerner’s sizzling performance in Ishqiya, playing a foul-mouthed, tough-as-nails widow who isn’t afraid to fire a gun at anyone who gets in her way and, most strikingly, isn’t apologetic about expressing her sexuality. Vidya’s famous thumb-sucking scene didn’t leave much to the imagination, perhaps, but is entirely in keeping with her down-to-earth, contemporary desi character. “She is very much today’s woman,” Vidya says. “She isn’t defined by her relationships.” Vidya’s fearless portrayal of the potentially dislikeable scheming seductress is also a credit to first-time director Abhishek Chaubey, who clearly wanted to rock the boat with regard to Bollywood’s traditional portrayal of women as beautifully dressed mannequins with little to say. The saucy comedy has certainly added a touch of spice to Vidya’s already eclectic career, and to the leading edge of Bollywood.
There’s nothing we like more than seeing this classically trained dancer strut her stuff in a sexy red sari and bikini blouse. Not an easy feat for someone who wouldn’t normally wear a sari by choice. Until now, anyway. I Hate Luv Storys and Aisha both required Sonam to don a sari and then dance in it, giving her no option but to master the art of wrapping and draping. The hourglassed Sonam is already considered a fashion icon in India, despite her short screen career and the disappointing box office performance of her first two films. But she finally hit paydirt last year, third-timelucky, in debutant director Punit Malhotra’s I Hate Luv Storys, showcasing a convincing chemistry with costar Imran Khan. The fact, of course, is that Sonam absolutely loves love stories (“I’m the ultimate romantic”) and was impeccably cast last year as a love-marriage matchmaker in Aisha, zipping around Delhi in tight skirts and stilettos. Contrary to her character (who truly believes that matchmaking is akin to being a “social worker”), Sonam is a self-confessed bookworm who makes every effort to keep her nose clean when it comes to discussing her own relationships and the romantic lives of others. – Kendon Polak
– Kendon Polak International Indian Film Academy Awards 25
aditya roy kapur
abhishek bachchan With two high-profile releases, 2010 was a promising year for Junior B, whose unique approach to choosing diverse roles is a skill that’s hard to find in Bollywood these days. Awakening his villainous side in Raavan, Abhishek once again teamed up with master director Mani Ratnam (Dil Se, Guru) to showcase his clever chameleon-like ability to transform from heartthrob to mystical bad boy. Having famously played Gurukant Desai in Guru in 2007, Abhishek had the opportunity last year to star again as a real-life hero of the people, taking on the role of revolutionary leader Surjya Sen in Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey. Abhishek’s brilliant performance was absolutely the highlight of the movie. There is no doubt that Bollywood fans would love to see Junior B succeed with a blockbuster career worthy of the Bachchan name. And, naturally, we’re very much looking forward to welcoming a third-generation of Bachchan thespians into the family. In the meantime, we continue to watch Abhishek load up his credit list with projects that prove his depth and range as an actor. – Mohit Rajhans
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This strapping ex-VJ had already made a name for himself as a TV host on Channel V before making his film début as a cameo character in London Dreams two years ago. But the double-whammy Diwali release of Action Replayy and then Guzaarish in close succession last year managed to firmly plunge this Bollywood newcomer into our hearts – as if we’d always known him as a friend. Seemingly without any effort on his part, Aditya is curiously and instantly likeable. He never planned on becoming an actor, never took any training, and was perfectly content being a VJ. Perhaps this goes some way to explain his innocent, comewhat-may, laid-back charm. His Action Replayy and Guzaarish characters are both outsiders who muscle their way into a situation, insinuate themselves into
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ajay devgn
The magnetic and versatile Ajay has enjoyed a very successful 20-year movie career, perfectly blending rough ’n’ rugged playboy with boynext-door charm while remaining one of Bollywood’s most bankable actors. He shies away from the gossip and fanfare that most of his contemporaries are surrounded by, and chooses his projects carefully. 2010 was another landmark year for Ajay, proving his versatility with such comedies as Golmaal 3 and Toonpur Ka Superrhero, and reacquainting us with his more serious side in Raajneeti and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, for which Ajay receives an IIFA Best Actor nomination this year for his gritty performance as gangster kingpin Sultan Mirza. Behind the scenes, Ajay is once again turning his attention to directing, while maintaining a heavy schedule of starring roles. – Mohit Rajhans 26 International Indian Film Academy Awards
favour, and end up being adored by everyone they meet. And this is precisely the effect that Aditya is having on all of us. His youthful optimism is highly infectious. His level-headed approach to the film industry will stand him in good stead – if, indeed, he chooses to remain a movie actor. He likes to be as inconspicuous as possible, letting his on-screen performances speak for themselves. He isn’t scared of competition, likes to keep an open mind, and is thankful for his good fortune. Aditya must have a horseshoe round his neck. Seriously. Bollywood’s luckiest debutant got to star alongside the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in both films. What other bigscreen career kicks off with such a bang? Half his luck! – Kendon Polak
akshay kumar This man is just a working machine! With 100 feature films under his belt, Akki remains one of the most prolific actors Bollywood has ever seen. He is well on his way to giving Adoor Bhasi a run for his money. Having said that, Akshay doesn’t always score a century at the box office. Nor does he routinely charm the critics. His 2010 output is a testament to this. But the IIFA Star of the Decade nominee did find himself with a megahit on his hands last year with the slapstick comedy Housefull, which probably contained as many face-slappings as any film in recent memory. Akki is a master at playing complete ‘losers’ who are simply jinxed – and Housefull even devoted an entire song to this perpetual misfortune. But Bollywood wouldn’t be Bollywood without an underdog to extol. Who else in B-town can boast getting his head stuck in a cement mixer, getting a vacuum cleaner suctioned onto his face and having his backside catch fire before inadvertently sucking up his best friend’s parrot into a vacuum cleaner? Gross incompetence doesn’t even begin to describe Akshay’s hilarious on-screen antics! And we loved every minute of it. The havoc-strewn blockbuster comedy was a riot from start to end. Choas and disaster continued to follow Akshay’s on-screen characters like a runaway bulldozer throughout 2010, with the similarly absurd comedies Khatta Meetha (which was more sour than sweet), Action Replayy and the out-of-control Tees Maar Khan. Nobody does awkward, ingratiating and fawning as impeccably as Akshay. If ever a bucket of paint were to fall from a great height, you can bet that one of Akshay’s characters would be standing beneath it. And that’s why we love him. – Kendon Polak
imran khan Just like Sonam Kapoor – his gorgeous costar in last year’s I Hate Luv Storys – the recently hitched Imran is happy to admit that he actually likes love stories. Not least of all, his own – with bride Avantika. While the newlyweds’ honeymoon is put on hold to accommodate Imran’s film commitments, Bollywood’s chocolate boy focuses on carving out a handsome career for himself in front of the camera. Originally, though, he’d aspired to work behind the camera, which is exactly where he finds himself in Luv Storys, working on a Bollywood film (but, of course!) as a director’s assistant who falls in love with the film’s production designer. The lighthearted hit gave us a killer cute on-screen combo (let’s do it again!) and a killer over-the-top love song, Sadka Hua, where Imran and Sonam get to pretend they’re actually big-time movie stars. A wonderful, corny, highly rewatchable Bollywood moment – proving (yet again) that love-story clichés still work. Imran’s boyish charm was also the driving force behind Break Ke Baad, which didn’t exactly sweep us off our feet, last year, but reinforced Imran’s ability to carry the weight of a film on his young shoulders. The jeans-and-t-shirt heartthrob is still a hit with female fans, despite his revised marital status, and is just one shirtless photo shoot away from attaining bedroom pin-up status. – Kendon Polak
arjun rampal This former supermodel might have been lucky enough to inherit his exquisite bone structure, but the six-foot-two beefcake works very hard in the gym to maintain his fitness level and has proved over the past decade (since winning an IIFA Face of the Year award in 2001) that he’s more than just eye-candy for the masses. He is very calm and serious about his profession, and boasts one of the steadiest marriages in Bollywood. He also happens to be a great actor. Not only is this warrior prince fearless about playing bad guys on screen, he is – perhaps more importantly – unafraid of
playing dudes who are caught somewhere in that dubious grey area between good guy and bad guy. As a divorced father in We Are Family, he stands tall as a ‘strong, silent type’ who carries a host of imperfections. Neither a hero nor a victim. Kinda likeable but a bit selfish. In other words: just an ordinary guy like the rest of us. As the heir to a powerful political legacy in the electrifying Raajneeti, he falls victim to his inflated ego, guilty of arrogance and a blind belief in his own nobility. Going one step further in Housefull, and demonstrating a wonderful sense of the absurd,
AR plays the singular, unsmiling brute in amongst a cast of crazy nincompoops. As the head of Indian military intelligence, he’s an outright meanie, while the rest of the cast dash about like headless chickens, slapping each other in the face and telling copious lies. Arjun is the wet blanket who brings the madness to an end with a Lie Detector Machine and, to top it all off, receives a bloody medal from the Queen of bloody England. Rock on! – Kendon Polak
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ranveer singh
shah rukh khan His name is Khan. Well, King Khan to be precise. He has ruled Bollywood for 20 years. And is still at his peak. He makes women go weak at the knees. He is met by screaming fans wherever he goes, and remains Bollywood’s biggest export. Truly deserving of the title “international star,” SRK is likely one of the biggest reasons that China recently re-opened its doors (well, ajar) to a Hindi film – for the first time in three decades. Chinese censors rarely allow Asian films to be imported but made an exception with My Name Is Khan. Being a Muslim married to a Hindu, SRK is the emblematic muscle of Karan Johar’s blockbuster parable, advocating openmindedness and humanity while shedding light on the marginalization of Muslims in a post-9/11 America. Cleverly adding Asperger’s Syndrome into the mix, My Name Is Khan undertakes a two-pronged attack on societal prejudice,
which SRK galvanizes almost singlehandedly. But love trounces bigotry. Every time. And Karan pulled off the reunion of the decade by bringing back Kajol to star as SRK’s love interest, a divorced Hindu single mother. (Okay, let’s call it a three-pronged offensive.) For the first time in nine years, the classic Kajol-SRK combo proved itself as indisputable as ever. We couldn’t be happier. And the film did gangbusters at the increasingly important international box office. The Baadshah of Bollywood has always exhibited an aura of innocence about him, but in Khan it’s profound. His selfconfessed shyness belies his global fan base. Heck, even the American Newsweek called this suave Delhi boy “one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.” Perhaps it’s time for King Khan to clear bit more shelf space for some more IIFA hardware. – Kendon Polak
Ranveer made his Bollywood début by playing his polar opposite in Band Baaja Baaraat. His character is a laidback guy who loafs around his university campus and is more interested in partying than studying – a persona that’s light years away from the 25-year-old actor. After working for a few years as a copywriter in the advertising world, Ranveer started knocking on producers’ doors and persistently attended audition after audition before nabbing his starring role in BBB. He didn’t follow the more typical route of doing commercials, daytime TV or music videos en route to the big time. “I took that gamble, telling myself that I will give it my all to bag a lead role,” he says. His aimless BBB character, on the other hand, charms his way into a career as a wedding planner by riding on the skirttails and business acumen of an ambitious young woman (played by Anushka Sharma). Ranveer dresses his character with just enough rough edges without overdoing it. And that’s refreshing. There’s a rawness to Ranveer’s screen presence that makes him a stand-out. For his second film, Ranveer reunites with Anushka in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, scheduled for release in December. – Doug O’Neill
salman khan It’s been Salman’s year for swaggering and strutting across the screen, and he does it so unabashedly. From Pindari Prince in the period epic Veer (which took savagery to new levels) to pumped policeman in Dabangg, the tough-guy superstar exudes rustic cool. In Dabangg, which was produced by his brother, Arbaaz, Salman masks a Robin Hood sensibility with Terminator-like smackdowns. Only a seasoned actor like Salman could make his fearless character, Chulbul Pandey, so believable. The corrupt cop figure, who’s known for his unorthodox policing methods, dominates every scene. Yet not even the ever-present Ray-Bans can completely hide the inner demons that have plagued Pandey since his unhappy childhood – and Khan, the consummate actor, carefully chooses when and how to reveal that raw emotion. – Doug O’Neill
28 International Indian Film Academy Awards
hrithik roshan Mister Perfect has always been praised for his professional dedication and strict work ethic, not to mention his twinkling green eyes and chiselled torso. And there’s no denying his jaw-dropping dance moves. The former child actor, born with Bollywood genes, is now a national icon, of course, who already has seven IIFAs on his bookshelf. But he’s the polar opposite of someone like Akshay Kumar; he’s famously choosy about his roles and far less prolific than most. In fact, we had to wait more than two years between Jodhaa Akbar and Kites. While some might argue that Kites was one of the biggest let-downs of 2010 (possibly trying too hard to reach beyond the diaspora with its abundance of nonHindi dialogue), Duggu did not disappoint. Despite his unbeatable charm and romantic-hero antics, Bollywood’s Greek God actually played a loser, a very non-typical Indian “hero” who could not save the girl in the end, nor himself, nor enact revenge on the bad guys. (Ten points to Kites for that startling, brave and
brilliant finale.) But the fact remains that, in 2010, Duggu gave us two of the best performances of his career. His Kites character might have been a loser, but in Guzaarish he was a superhero. Again, not your typical superhero in the physical sense, but a noble role model and paragon of spiritual strength. It was touchy territory, playing a quadriplegic seeking legal euthanasia, but Hrithik approached the challenging subject matter with compassion and fierce philosophy. The experience changed him forever as an individual. It made him a better person, more equipped to “overcome the daily squabble of life,” he says. Being trapped inside a paralyzed body for 14 years, his character teeters on the verge of madness. Without films like this, says Hrithik, “there will be a spiritual vacuum in our cinema.” Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish is not just a request for mercy killing for Hrithik’s character, but a request for the audience to keep an open mind and journey together into new territory. – Kendon Polak
rajInikanth With 180 films under his trademark belt buckles, the legendary, enigmatic and eternally humble Rajinikanth is justly known as a superstar matinée idol. With his umpteen stylish ways of putting on a pair of sunglasses or flicking a cigarette into his mouth, Rajinikanth has earned an unwavering place in the hearts of fans around the world. It was no surprise, of course, that a special, unprecedented 4am screening of Endhiran went ‘full house’ in Chennai on the eve of its release last October. No stranger to double (or multiple) roles, Rajinikanth once again displays his own personal crowd-pleasing flair in Endhiran as both the scientist and the futuristic robot he creates. Groundbreaking special effects and the fact that he’s paired opposite one of India’s most beautiful and talented leading ladies, Aishwarya Rai, ensured that the film made huge box office collections all over the country. – Aashish Rajhans
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International Indian Film Academy Awards 29
International Indian Film Academy
Hrithik Roshan
IIFA is an institution that brings together the worlds of Indian and international cinema onto one common, global platform. Wizcraft International came up with the concept to produce the most credible and authentic awards ceremony for the world’s largest film industry. Since 2000, IIFA has grown from a one-day ceremony to a three-day weekend of film activities. “IIFA is pleased to celebrate its 12th year in Toronto and feels it is Indian cinema’s gateway to North America,” says Wizcraft director Sabbas Joseph. “This year’s celebrations will have over 800 delegates from India, including the crème de la crème of Indian cinema and the international media. A third of the expatriate population in
Toronto comprises South Asians, and we intend to bring a taste of home and cinematic magic to them.” IIFA’s main objective has been to develop and promote relationships between film industries and organizations across the world. The focus is on foreign exchange and interaction, creating a common forum and meeting ground. “Having witnessed so many IIFAs,” says Hrithik Roshan, “I see IIFA Toronto as a landmark for the Wizcraft team and our fraternity, confirming the reach of Indian cinema. And I could not be more thrilled to represent this great industry, and meet the fans in Canada.”
Building Houses and Bridges
Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez help build a home in Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka
As a testament to its mission of building bridges between countries, IIFA initiated a special project, in association with Habitat for Humanity, during last year’s IIFA Weekend in Sri Lanka. Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez came together to build a home in Ja-Ela as part of this project, which focuses on building 100 homes for those who’ve been adversely affected by the violence in Sri Lanka. The building of homes was a symbolic gesture of contributing to the host country.
This year, in Ontario, IIFA is partnering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel, a mentoring organization for children and youth from underprivileged and risk backgrounds, providing caring adult relationships for children, to help promote their healthy development and to enhance their self-esteem. The organization has been offering over 40 years of service to Peel Region, serving over 1,350 children.
IIFA Events in the GTA
BRAMPTON MARKHAM MISSISSAUGA TORONTO June 17
Markham Village Music Festival 6pm onwards Main Street, Markham Bollywood music. June 17
Bollywood Under the Stars 6pm to 10pm Markham Civic Centre Outdoor screenings of the best in Indian cinema.
June 18
Celebrate South Asia and the World 7am to 10pm Gage Park & Garden Square, Brampton Flower parade, farmers’ market, Brampton Bazaar, three stages and 18 hours of dance and music. June 18
Brampton Buzz Opening Night Gala 7pm to 10pm Garden Square Unveiling of the Brampton Walk of Fame.
Albion Islington Fusion of Taste Festival 11am to 9pm Albion Rd & Islington Ave Circus, fashion shows, Tanya Gill, Manak E, Saima Khan, Shiamak Davar Toronto Dance Team, Muhtadi and the World Drummers, buskers and amusement rides.
June 18
June 19
June 17
Markham Bollywood Extravaganza 12pm to 10pm Markham Civic Centre South Asian entertainment, authentic bazaar and kidzone.
Bollywood Under the Stars 5pm to 10pm Mississauga Celebration Square Outdoor screenings of the best in Indian cinema.
June 19
Celebrate South Asia and the World 12pm to 7pm Gage Park, Rosalea Park, and Ken Whillans Square, Brampton Food market, Brampton Bazaar and 18 hours of dance and music. June 23
IIFA Weekend – Opening Press Conference Royal York Hotel, Toronto June 23
IIFA Film Media Briefings Royal York Hotel, Toronto June 23
IIFA World Premiere Green Carpet SilverCity, Brampton June 23
IIFA World Premiere Double Dhamaal SilverCity, Brampton June 23
IIFA Club Night Liberty Grand, Toronto
30 International Indian Film Academy Awards
June 24
June 25
June 25
IIFA Film Media Briefings Royal York Hotel, Toronto
Samsara: Feel the Flow in Toronto 2pm to 6:30pm Rogers Centre A free arts festival; a diverse fusion of music, vocals, instrumental, dance and fashion.
June 24
June 25
June 26
FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum Metro Toronto Convention Centre June 24
IIFA Film Festival Gala Opening SilverCity, Brampton June 24
Mississauga IIFA Buzz Celebration Square will be transformed into our very own Bollywood Village.
IIFA Film Festival Public Screenings Toronto, Markham, Brampton & Mississauga
June 25
June 24
IIFA Film Media Briefings Royal York Hotel, Toronto
IIFA Rocks the Green Carpet Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto June 24
Mississauga IIFA Buzz 7pm onwards, Mississauga Celebration Square Bollywood music and dance. Original production.
IIFA Music Workshop Royal York Hotel, Toronto June 25
June 25
IIFA Film Festival Public Screenings Toronto, Markham, Brampton & Mississauga
IIFA Awards Green Carpet Rogers Centre, Toronto June 25
IIFA Awards Rogers Centre, Toronto Mississauga IIFA Buzz 12pm to 5pm Celebration Square Help set a world record for Bollywood dance. June 26
IIFA Film Festival Public Screenings Toronto, Markham, Brampton & Mississauga June 26
Raj Kapoor Retrospective Gala Opening TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto
IMAGES COURTESY OF WIZCRAFT INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT PVT LTD.
Wizcraft founding fathers Sabbas Joseph, Viraf Sarkari and Andre Timmins