The award season has officially begun, and Sultan and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil seem to be the most popular horses in the race. At the Stardust Awards 2016, the Salman Khan blockbuster and Karan Johar's romantic drama walked away with the big prizes and the applause.
The event saw a slew of stars descend at the venue in style. From Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, to the newly returned Priyanka Chopra, the industry was present in full pomp and glory. Even Salman Khan's rumoured girlfriend, Iulia Vantur, made an appearance and performed at the event. Hosted by Shah Rukh Khan, the event saw the stars let down their hair and relax after a hard year's work.
The clear winners though were Karan Johar and Salman himself. Johar's film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil walked away with awards for Best Director, Best Lyricist for Amitabh Bhattacharya, Best Playback singer for Arijit Singh, and Best Music Director for Pritam. Anushka Sharma won the Viewers' Choice for Best Actress of the Year for her performances in Sultan and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
Salman's blockbuster, Sultan, meanwhile walked away with the Viewers' Choice for Best Film of the Year, Best Costume, and Sharma's award for Best Actress.
One of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, Pink, managed to win a sole award through Amitabh Bachchan. The veteran added to his collection with the Viewers' Choice for Best Actor of the Year award.
Sonam Kapoor walked away with her head held high after Neerja managed to bag three trophies at Stardust 2016. The actress won the Editors' Choice for Best Actress, while Jim Sarbh won the award for Best Actor in a Negative Role. Shabana Azmi received another trophy for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) for her touching portrayal of Neerja's mother.
Mirzya co-stars Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher took home trophies for Best Male and Female Debut of the Year. Kher was a joint winner with Disha Patani whose lively performance in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story earned her the award.
The event also saw the return of the prodigal, as Priyanka Chopra was declared Global Icon of the Year. The award comes as recognition of Chopra's rise as the most recognised face of Indian cinema overseas. The return of the actress also raises hopes of seeing her in more films in the coming year.
While the usual suspects Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Ranbir Kapoor left empty handed, Varun Dhawan led the new brigade with an award for Best Superstar of the Next Generation. The elder generation continued to be represented by the evergreen Rekha who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
As the year winds down and award season begins, this might just prove to be the warmup.
Here's a complete list of the winners:
Best Director: Karan Johar for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Editor's Choice for Best Actor (Female): Sonam Kapoor for Neerja
Editor's Choice for Best Actor (Male): Shah Rukh Khan
Viewers Choice best Actress of the year: Anushka Sharma for Sultan and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Viewers' Choice Best Actor of the year : Amitabh Bachchan for Pink
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male):Rishii Kapoor
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female): Shabana Azmi
Best Story: Kapoor and Sons
Best Screnplay: Udta Punjab
Best Costume: Sultan
Best Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya for Channa Mereya
Best Playback Male: Arijit Singh for Channa Mereya
Best Choreographer: Bosco Martis for Kaala Chashma
Best Male Debut: Harshvardhan Kapoor for Mirzya
Best Female Debut: Saiyami Kher for MIrzya and Disha Patani for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
Best Music Director: Pritam for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Best Actor in Negative Role: Jim Sarbh for Neerja
Lifetime Achievement Award: Rekha
Global Icon of the Year: Priyanka Chopra
Path breaking direction: Ajay Devgn for Shivaay
Most Iconic performance of the year: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Viewers' Choice for Best Film of the Year: Sultan
Best Costume: Sultan
Best Superstar of the Next Gen: Varun Dhawan