Bollywood’s biggest stars shine at film awards in US

EAST RUTHERFORD (New Jersey): Bollywood stars lit up an American stadium on Saturday with a dazzling celebration of dance, music and fashion at the International Indian Film Academy awards just outside New York.

Held each year in a different city overseas, IIFA is India’s biggest media event and one of the world’s most-watched annual entertainment shows, with an audience of nearly 800 million people.

Thousands of delighted fans, dressed to the nines in evening gowns, cocktail dresses, saris and jewel-encrusted shalwar kameez, shrieked with delight as the awards got underway at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a short drive from the Big Apple.

A Donald Trump impersonator, introduced as Ronald Grump, tried to lead the crowd in a few strains of song, before actress Alia Bhatt whipped the audience into a frenzy, cheering an upbeat song and signature Bollywood moves with backup dancers in neon costumes.

Fellow A-listers Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon also performed.

Hosted by Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and producer-director Karan Johar, it is the culmination of a three-day festival, which kicked off with a fashion show and music at Times Square.

Best picture went to Neerja, a thriller based on the true story of a purser who helped save the lives of more than 350 passengers when Libyan-backed hijackers stormed Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi in 1986.

Udta Punjab, a gritty crime drama spotlighting the huge problem of drug abuse among young people in Punjab, scooped Shahid Kapoor best actor and Alia Bhatt best actress in a leading role. AFP