Superstar Shah Rukh Khan received the Best Actor award for his performance in “Jawan,” while the film “Animal,” featuring Ranbir Kapoor, was honored as Best Picture at the IIFA Awards held here.
Shah Rukh co-hosted the awards ceremony on Saturday night alongside actor Vicky Kaushal and filmmaker Karan Johar. The superstar showcased his charisma as a host, effortlessly striking his signature pose of wide-open arms and joining Kaushal in his viral dance moves to “Tauba Tauba.”
On stage to present the award to SRK were his “Dil Se…” director Mani Ratnam and renowned composer A R Rahman. In a gesture of respect, the superstar touched Ratnam’s feet before accepting the accolade. Rani Mukerji was awarded Best Actress for her role in “Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway.” As she returned to her seat after receiving her award, Shah Rukh, her frequent co-star, graciously held her pallu to prevent it from touching the floor.
SRK also supported singer Shilpa Rao, who won the Best Playback Singer (Female) IIFA trophy for “Chaleya” from “Jawan,” by performing an impromptu dance as she sang the opening lines. Kaushal appeared to relish every moment of his hosting role alongside SRK, who playfully matched his “Dunki” co-star’s steps during “Tauba Tauba.” The pair also entertained the audience with a dance to “Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam” from SRK’s film “Duplicate” and “Oo Antava” from “Pushpa,” eliciting enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra was awarded Best Director for his film “12th Fail.” Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Animal” also celebrated victories for Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol in the Best Supporting Actor and Best Negative Role categories, respectively. Deol accepted his award and humorously recreated his famous dance moves to the song ‘Jamal kudu,’ with Vanga providing an empty glass as a prop.
Ranbir Kapoor appeared to have skipped the awards this year to celebrate his 42nd birthday with family on Saturday. “Animal” further secured accolades for music direction, recognizing the contributions of Pritam, Vishal Mishra, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Jaani, and Bhupinder Babbal.
