It was a grand affair in Melbourne, Australia, last
night, as some of the biggest Bollywood stars made their presence felt at the annual
Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards. This year themed on inclusion
at its core, the festival kicked-off on 10th of August and witnessed its
biggest event at the Palais Theatre one of the oldest and most iconic
landmarks of Melbourne.
The awards night started off with a grand red carpet
celebrating various cultures of India with a grand welcome to each guest. An
extremely exciting night was celebrated in the presence of some of Victorian
government’s senior ministers and members of the Australian film fraternity
including director of Dev Patel’s LION, Garth Davis. The night witnessed
various performances of various dance forms from India, but the highlight was
the extremely energetic and soulful performance of Sachin-Jigar and also the
phenomenal comedy set by comedian and host of the night, Saadiya Ali.
Rani Mukerji Poses With Her Awards
Hichki, Sanju and soon to be released Love Sonia took award
the majority of awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and
Best Indie Film. The marvellous team of Mahanati, took home the Equality in
Cinema Award and Freida Pinto was conferred with the award for Diversity in
Cinema award. The highlight of the night was when Simi Garewal gave away the
top honour of the night with a moving speech to Rani Mukerji for Excellence in
Cinema Award.
Ali Fazal And Richa Chadha Are All Smiles
Here is the complete list of winners:
Best Indie Film : LOVE SONIA
Best Indie Film Special Mention : GALI GULEIYAN (IN THE
SHADOWS )
Equality in Cinema : MAHANATI
Diversity Award : FREIDA PINTO
Best Actor : MANOJ BAJPAYEE FOR GALI GULEIYAN (IN THE
SHADOWS )
IFFM VANGUARD AWARD : Ranbir Kapoor for his Breakthrough
Performance in Sanju
Best Actress : RANI MUKERJI FOR HICHKI
Best film : SANJU
Best Director : RAJKUMAR HIRANI
Best Supporting Performance : VICKY KAUSHAL FOR SANJU and
RICHA CHADHA FOR LOVE SONIA
Excellence in Cinema : RANI MUKERJI
Image Source: hdimages