OSO - The Technical Winner of IIFA

The Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Om Shanti Om” swept a number of technical awards at the International Indian Film Awards (IIFA) 2008 gala here Sunday night. The film garnered awards for best special effects (Red Chillies Entertainment), best art direction (Sabu Cyril), best comstume design (Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar and Sanjeev Mulchandani) and best makeup.

Mani Ratnam’s “Guru” won the awards for best background score (A.R. Rahman) and best song recording (H. Sridhar).

The award for best screenplay was won jointly by Anurag Basu (”Life in a Metro”) and Jaideep Sahni (”Chak De! India”).

“Chak De! India” also took home the trophy for best cinematography.

Imtiyaz Ali was named the best dialogue writer for “Jab We Met”.

IIFA honours Rahman with the Best Music Director Award

A.R. Rahman was named the best music director for his score in "Guru" at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2008 awards here Sunday night, while the Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Om Shanti Om" swept a number of technical awards.

Shreya Ghoshal won the honours for the best playback singer (female) for "Barso re" from Mani Ratnam's "Guru", which film also bagged awards for the best background score (Rahman) and best song recording (H. Sridhar).

The best playback singer (male) award was bagged by Shaan for "Jab se tere naina" from "Saawariya".

Veteran Javed Akhtar was named the best lyricist for "Om Shanti Om", which also garnered awards for best special effects (Red Chillies Entertainment), best art direction (Sabu Cyril), best costume design (Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar and Sanjeev Mulchandani) and best makeup.

The award for best screenplay was won jointly by Anurag Basu ("Life in a Metro") and Jaideep Sahni ("Chak De! India").

"Chak De! India" also took home the trophy for best cinematography.

Imtiyaz Ali was named the best dialogue writer for "Jab We Met".

Chak De India The Winners of IIFA too

“Chak De! India”, which won critical acclaim and mass popularity, also swept the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2008 awards here Sunday night as it was named the best film while superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Shimit Amin lifted the best actor and best director trophies respectively for the film. Kareena Kapoor was named the best acress for “Jab We Met”. However, Shah Rukh was not present at the gala and producer Yash Copra accepted the award on his behalf.

The film about a coach inspiring the Indian women’s hockey team to victory also won awards for story and screenplay.

The best male and female style icons were Abhishek Bachchan and Katrina Kaif, respectively.

Music composer A.R. Rahman was honoured for “outstanding achievement by an Indian in international cinema”.

While veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal and Mumtaz, a popular star of the yesteryears, won the special honours for lifetime achievement, actor Akshay Kumar bagged the special award from the host country, Thailand.

The award for the best performance in a negative role went to Viveik Oberoi for “Shootout at Lokhandwala”, while the one for the best performance in a comic role went to Govinda (”Partner”).

Neil Nitin Mukesh was named “the fresh face of the year”.

At the grand ceremony at Siam Niramik here, Karan Johar, Urmila Matondkar, Boman Irani and Ritesh Deshmukh compered Bollywood’s much awaited award ceremony. It was the team of Boman and Ritesh that won the hearts of the audience with their easy repartee in a show that could, however, do with better management.

The 2,000-capacity hall was full, with a majority of the audience consisting of the Indian diaspora.

The award announcements were preceded by performances of songs from some eagerly awaited Hindi films and Govinda stole the show with his dance number.

Rahman was also named the best music director for his score in “Guru”. Shreya Ghoshal won the honours for the best playback singer (female) for “Barso re” from Mani Ratnam’s “Guru”, which film also bagged awards for the best background score (Rahman) and best song recording (H. Sridhar).

The best playback singer (male) award was bagged by Shaan for “Jab se tere naina” from “Saawariya”.

Veteran Javed Akhtar was named the best lyricist for “Om Shanti Om”, which also garnered awards for best special effects (Red Chillies Entertainment), best art direction (Sabu Cyril), best costume design (Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar and Sanjeev Mulchandani) and best makeup.

The award for best screenplay was won jointly by Anurag Basu (”Life in a Metro”) and Jaideep Sahni (”Chak De! India”). Sahni also won the award for best story for the same film.

“Chak De! India” also took home the trophy for best cinematography. Imtiyaz Ali was named the best dialogue writer for “Jab We Met”.

Shyam Benegal recieved Special Honours at IIFA

Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal won the special honours at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) 2008 awards here Sunday night while music composer A.R. Rahman and the Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Om Shanti Om' figured among the winners.

Mumtaz, a popular star of the yesteryears, was also named for the IIFA special honour, while actor Akshay Kumar bagged the special award from the host country, Thailand.

The award for the best performance in a negative role went to Viveik Oberoi for 'Shootout at Lokhandwala', while the one for the best performance in a comic role went to Govinda ('Partner').

At the gala ceremony at Siam Niramik here, Karan Johar, Urmila Matondkar, Boman Irani and Ritesh Deshmukh compered Bollywood's much awaited award ceremony. It was the team of Boman and Ritesh that won the hearts of the audience with their easy repartee in a show that could, however, do with better management.

The 2,000-capacity hall was full, with a majority of the audience consisting of the Indian diaspora.

The award announcements were preceded by performances of songs from some eagerly awaited Hindi films and Govinda stole the show with his dance number.

Rahman was named the best music director for his score in 'Guru'. Shreya Ghoshal won the honours for the best playback singer (female) for 'Barso re' from Mani Ratnam's 'Guru', which film also bagged awards for the best background score (Rahman) and best song recording (H. Sridhar).

The best playback singer (male) award was bagged by Shaan for 'Jab se tere naina' from 'Saawariya'.

Veteran Javed Akhtar was named the best lyricist for 'Om Shanti Om', which also garnered awards for best special effects (Red Chillies Entertainment), best art direction (Sabu Cyril), best costume design (Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar and Sanjeev Mulchandani) and best makeup.

The award for best screenplay was won jointly by Anurag Basu ('Life in a Metro') and Jaideep Sahni ('Chak De! India'). Sahni also won the award for best story for the same film.

'Chak De! India' also took home the trophy for best cinematography. Imtiyaz Ali was named the best dialogue writer for 'Jab We Met'.

IIFA Tickets prices Upsets Fans

The Ninth International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards show has created a lot of buzz with several cine stars descending on Bangkok but many Indians living here are complaining about the exorbitantly priced tickets for the gala night Sunday.

'The last-row tickets are $1,000 and if you want better seats you will have to shell out between $2,000 and $3,500,' said an upset fan.

Vicky who works in a shop in Silom neighbourhood said: 'We would love to watch the awards night but I can't afford the tickets.'

However, many NRIs in Southeast Asia have lapped up tickets, not letting go an opportunity to have a glimpse of their favourite stars.

Sarkar Raaj gets ausome Response from IIFA

A dazzling 'Green Carpet' welcome was given to Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar Raj" that premiered on the opening day of the three-day International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards gala here on Friday evening as scores of fans chanted "Abhishek, Abhishek", to welcome Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who stars in the film with his glamorous wife Aishwarya and iconic father Amitabh.

The three Bachchans were the cynosure of all eyes at the Paragon Cineplex, where the movie was screened and which was splashed with numerous posters of the film. Hordes of Indian and foreign fans were waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars at the venue.

Sahej, 12, a girl from Chandigarh, has come to Bangkok for a vacation. "I came to know that IIFA was taking place here only on the flight. So I came here to watch the stars," a gushing Sahej told media.

Another young fan, 16-year-old Rishi from Kolkata, wanted to watch the premiere of the film but could only manage to see the film stars. "I tried to get the passes for the movie, but couldn't. But I am happy to have seen my favourite stars here," he said.

Though the Bachchan family kept their fans waiting for almost two hours, it failed to dampen their enthusiasm to see the stars walk down the green carpet. The IIFA decided on a green carpet premiere to show its concern over global warming.

Amitabh walked in with his wife Jaya Bachchan, followed by Abhishek and Aishwarya. Among other Indian star celebrities at the premiere were Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, David Dhawan, Navin Nischol, Ajay Bijli, Zayed Khan, veteran actress Mumtaz with her daughters and also Neil Nitin Mukesh.

Though Kareena Kapoor, Viveik Oberoi, Urmila Matondkar and Diya Mirza are here to attend the IIFA, they preferred to give the "Sarkar Raj" premiere a miss.

Thai princess Sirindhorn, who was to attend the premiere, arrived late amid tight security after all the stars had settled down, and made a quiet exit.

The high numbers of foreign media covering the IIFA is an indication of the success of the event. Foreign media persons even sat and watched "Sarkar Raj".

The IIFA, which aims to promote brand Bollywood beyond Indian shores, is in its ninth edition. It has travelled across three continents and eight countries since its inception in 2000. Last year it was held in Yorkshire.

IIFA Awards - Day 1

Arrival of the stars
Bangkok witnessed Bollywood biggies landing into the city to be a part of the most prestigious IIFA Awards 2008. Karan Johar, Riteish Deshmukh, David Dhawan, Katrina Kaif, Viveik Oberoi were among the first ones to put their foot in the city. The Bachchan family along with Kareena Kapoor joined arrived later.

Sarkar Raj Premiere gets overwhelming response
RGV's Sarkar Raj Premiere kickstarted IIFA this year in Bangkok. The film got an overwhelming response from the audiences. The premiere had a 'Green Carpet' welcome to show concern towards the issue of Global Warming. A huge crowd packed the venue and the security had a tough time managing them when the Bachchan's arrived for the Premiere at the Paragon Cineplex. Kareena Kapoor, Viveik Oberoi, Urmila Matondkar and Dia Mirza though present at Bangkok for IIFA, skipped the Premiere.

Music launch of Mission Istaanbul
IIFA awards 2008 became the platform for the music launch of Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istaanbul. While the queen of soaps, Ekta Kapoor, who is the producer of the film, was missing from the event, her absence was filled in by her father, Jeetendra, who launched the music of Mission Istaanbul. The director along with the film's star cast Viveik Oberoi, Zayed Khan, Shabbir Ahluwalia and Niketan Madhok interacted with the media. Viveik Oberoi also danced to the tunes of his famous numbers like 'Aye Ganpat' from Shootout At Lokhandwala.

IIFA Awards 2008 Kick Started by Amitabh Bachchan

The IIFA Weekend has kick-started in Bangkok today. A sapling plantation was done by IIFA Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan along with Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Also present on the occasion was Dr. Rajendra K. Pachauri, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and climate change scientist who was also awarded with Global Leadership Award at the FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum, 2008 earlier in the day.

Katrina Sweats it Out with Her Dear Friend

Katrina Kaif has been dancing all day and all night. After all, she has to give a live stage performance soon. But, the good part of all this hard work is that Kats gets to spend time with her long-time dost Shiamak Dawar.

“It’s good to see Katrina and Shiamak together. They’ve formed a mutual admiration society,” says a friend of the actor’s. Kats, apparently, has been practicing for five to seven hours daily. “She is quite passionate about dancing. I remember Katrina had gone to see Shiamak’s I Believe and had said that people who hadn’t watched it are wastrels and doing nothing of consequence,” laughs her friend.

Well, as long as this lovely lady is doing something of consequence, the men won’t be complaining!

IIFA to See Biggest Stars Of Bollywood Perform

The hottest names in Bollywood, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor are all set to come together for their fans. The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards that kick-off in Friday in Bangkok will see the hot, sizzling and energetic trio of Akshay, Bebo and Kats along with apna Govinda igniting the flame on stage with their dance performances

And while the audiences will be clapping to some super performances by the fantastic four, the ‘De Taali’ team of Aftab, Ayesha and Riteish will add to the evening’s sparkle by getting their act in place. Sharing his excitement with Indiatimes Movies, Aftab who is currently shooting in Hyderabad for ‘Acid Factory’ says, “Last year I had performed at IFFA on the track ‘ Afreen ’ from my film ‘Red’ and it was a great experience. I feel honoured that I will be performing once more on the IFFA stage. In fact, I will begin with my dance rehearsals once I am done shooting in Hyderabad.” Also accompanying Aftab to create a sizzling chemistry on-stage will be his ‘Acid Factory’ co-stars and the once-upon-a-time ‘Mujhe Tumse Mohabbat Hai’ club dancer Dia Mirza, Bollywood’s handsome hunk Fardeen Khan and the charming Dino Morea.


But if you think this is all, well it is just the tip of the iceberg. IIFA which is considered to be the biggest international platform for Bollywood will see even the stars in a come-back mode shaking their hip at the Awards. The lover boy turned action hero Vivek Oberoi along with chocolate boy Zayed Khan is all set to unveil his upcoming film ‘Mission Istanbul’ by staging live performances on some of the best tracks from the Apoorva Lakhia movie.


And last but not the least, though Priyanka Chopra may not get into the ‘Don’ mode, her debutant boyfriend Harman Baweja will perform at the evening. Elaborating on the same, Harman said, “My act will be unveiled in a very interesting manner unlike other performances. I will be dancing to a track from my film ‘ Love Story 2050’ titled ‘Milo Ya Na Milo ’ . The number has been specially choreographed by Shaimak Davar. In fact Shaimak is taking special interest in my IIFA act and has been calling from US every single day and has been enquiring about my rehearsal.”

IIFA Awards Night-A Night To Remember....

Fascinating, vibrant, dazzling, colorful and amazing!. Welcome to IIFA, where stars descend from the Indian cinema's celluloid to live an experience, which, to say the least, is truly out of the world. IIFA's 9 successful years of existence are a testament of the credibility and the distinct place that it enjoys in the Indian film industry. IIFA over these many years has grown to be the most respected South Asian Film Academy, with the IIFA Awards being the most-watched entertainment event with a viewership of over 600 million.

IIFA 2008 promises to be even more exciting, thrilling and brimming with fun. Bangkok, IIFA's destination 2008, exuberates the spirit IIFA stands for and guarantees an unlimited doze of entertainment.

IIFA Awards for Technical Excellence announced

The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) recently announced the awards in the Technical category.

And no prizes for guessing the winners as it were the regular suspects who walked home with the prestigious honors. The winners included superhit like Chak De India (five awards) and Om Shanti Om (four awards). While Chak De India bagged the awards in Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound Recording, Best Sound Re-recording, Best Screenplay (shared it with Life in a Metro), Om Shanti Om got it for Best Art Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Costume designing and Best Makeup.

The choreography award has gone to Vaibhavi Merchant for Aaja, while Javed Sheikh & Ejaz Sheikh won the best action award for the movie Shootout at Lokhandwala.

The Award for Best Sound Recording went to H. Sridhar for Guru, while A. R. Rahman won the Idea IIFA Award for Best Background Score for the movie Guru. Imtiaz Ali won the IIFA for Best Dialogue for Jab We Met.

The prestigious IIFA awards are to be held Bangkok, from June 6 -8 ‘08.

Nominations for the IIFA Awards 2008

Best Picture:
Guru
Chak De India
Jab We Met
Om Shanti Om
Life In A Metro
Partner

Best Direction:
Anurag Basu - Life In A… Metro
Imtiaz Ali - Jab We Met
Mani Ratnam - Guru
Priyadarshan - Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Shimit Amin - Chak De India
David Dhawan - Partner

Performance in a Leading Role (Male):
Abhishek Bachchan - Guru
Akshay Kumar - Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Salman Khan - Partner
Shah Rukh Khan - Chak De India
Shahid Kapoor - Jab We Met

Performance in a Leading Role (Female):
Aishwarya Rai - Guru
Deepika Padukone - Om Shanti Om
Kareena Kapoor - Jab We Met
Tabu - Cheeni Kum
Vidya Balan - Bhool Bhulaiyaa

Performance in a Supporting Role (Male):
Anil Kapoor - Welcome
Govinda - Partner
Irrfan Khan - Life In A... Metro
Mithun Chakraborty - Guru
Rajat Kapoor - Bheja Fry

Performance in a Supporting Role (Female):
Chitrashi Rawat - Chak De India
Konkona Sen Sharma - Life In A... Metro
Rani Mukerji - Saawariya
Vidya Balan - Guru
Zohra Sehgal - Cheeni Kum

Performance in a Comic Role:
Govinda - Partner
Irrfan Khan - Life In A... Metro
Paresh Rawal - Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Rajpal Yadav - Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Vinay Pathak - Bheja Fry

Performance in a Negative Role:
Arjun Rampal - Om Shanti Om
Kay Kay Menon - Life In A ... Metro
Shilpa Shukla - Chak De India
Vidya Balan - Bhool Bhulaiyaa
Viveik Oberoi - Shootout At Lokhandwala

Music Direction:
A.R. Rahman - Barso Re Barso Re (Guru)
Mika Ganpat - Ganpat (Shootout At Lokhandwala)
Monty Sharma - Saawariya (Saawariya)
Pritam - Hare Ram Hare Ram (Bhool Bhulaiyaa)
Sajid - Wajid - Do U Wanna Partner (Partner)
Salim - Sulaiman - Chak De India (Chak De India)

Best Story:
Anurag Basu - Life In A… Metro
Feroz Abbas Khan - Gandhi My Father
Imtiaz Ali - Jab We Met
Jaideep Sahni - Chak De India
Mani Ratnam - Guru
R. Balki - Cheeni Kum

Lyrics:
Gulzar - Tere Bina (Guru)
Jaideep Sahni - Chak De India (Chak De India)
Javed Akhtar - Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
Sameer - Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Sayeed Quadri - In Dino Life In A… Metro In Dino

Playback Singer (Male):
KK - Aankhon Mein Teri Om (Shanti Om)
Neeraj Shridhar - Hare Ram Hare Ram (Bhool Bhulaiyaa)
Shaan - Jabse Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Sukhvinder Singh - Chak De India (Chak De India)
Wajid, Laabh Janjuwa - Soni De Nakhre (Partner)

Playback Singer (Female):
Shreya Ghoshal - Barso Re (Guru)
Shreya Ghoshal - Dholna (Bhool Bhulaiyaa)
Shreya Ghoshal - Thode Badmash (Saawariya)
Shreya Ghoshal - Ye Ishq Hai (Jab We Met)
Sunidhi Chauhan - Aaja Nachle (Aaja Nachle)