Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan, who made a terrific return at the movies last year with his blockbuster films ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’ took home the Best Actor trophy at the 24th edition of International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in Abu Dhabi.
The actor clinched the trophy for his work in ‘Jawan’ in which he played dual roles of a father and a son. Actress Rani Mukerji was feted with the Best Actress award for her work in ‘Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway’.
The third of the top 4 honours, Best Picture went to the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer ‘Animal’, and Best Director being won by Vidhu Vinod Chopra for his surprise hit ‘12th Fail’.
Interestingly, Vidhu Vinod Chopra had earlier told the media before the event that awards matter the least to him and that he was just there at the venue to accompany his wife Anupama Chopra, who is the editor of an international magazine.
The director said what he looks for in his work is the creative satisfaction and the feeling of making a difference with his work. While he ticked off both the pre-requisites with ‘12th Fail’ which serves as an inspiration to not just the IAS aspirants but people from all walks of life, the IIFA win surely comes as a bonus to him.
The Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial ‘Animal’, which caused a huge uproar upon its release last year owing to its disturbing portrayal of violence and the alleged misogyny, won big at the IIFA 2024 with 6 honours in its kitty.
It won Best Supporting Actor (Male) for Anil Kapoor, Best Performance in a Negative Role for Bobby Deol, Best Music Direction award shared by Pritam, Vishal Mishra, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Jaani, Bhupinder Babbal, Ashim Kemson and Harshavardhan Rameshwar, Best Playback Singer (Male) for Bhupinder Babbal, who sang the chartbuster ‘Arjan Vailly’, and Best Lyrics for Siddharth Singh & Garima Wahal.
While Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema was conferred to Hema Malini, Debutant of the Year went to Alizeh Agnihotri.
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who has clocked 50 years in cinema, was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress (Female) award for her work in ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’.