Thriller Raazi steals the show

Spy thriller Raazi stole the night at Bollywood’s answer to the Oscars, taking best film and best actress for its young star Alia Bhatt in Mumbai, where the glitzy awards gala was held for the first time since being established two decades ago.

Megastar Ranveer Singh won best actor for his role in the controversial Padmaavat, a historical action movie that enraged Hindu radicals but was an international success.

The International Indian Film Academy awards went on into the early hours of Thursday and Indian-British star Bhatt said it had been worth the wait as she received her prize.

Singh added: “The fact that you are all sitting here past 2am and watching us being honoured means you all love cinema.

“That’s why we continue to do what we are doing.”

Raazi, directed by Meghna Gulzar, one of the rare female executives in Bollywood, revolves around a Kashmiri spy who marries a Pakistani official so that she can send back intelligence before the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Andhadhun, a black comedy about a nearly blind piano player who witnesses a murder, won best director for Sriram Raghavan as well as best screenplay and best story.

Aditi Rao Hydari won best supporting actress for her role in Padmaavat, which caused a storm as soon as filming started. But no mention of the controversies were made at the gala.

Ishaan Khattar, who acted in Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds, won best male newcomer while Sara Ali Khan took best female newcomer for her performance in Kedarnath. – AFP