As the green carpet rolls out this weekend for the International Indian Film Academy Awards 2014 (IIFA) in Tampa Bay, Florida, two things stand out from the nominations list.
Actress Deepika Padukone is seemingly unstoppable as three of her blockbusters — Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela, Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani — have collectively grabbed 16 nominations in the popular awards category.
Director Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra’s sports biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is sprinting ahead in the awards race with 10 nods, including Best Picture and Best Actor. While the film, about real-life Indian athlete Milkha Singh, and starring Farhan Akhtar, ticks all the boxes that could make it the toast of an awards ceremony (it’s got scale, drama, gravitas and is uplifting to watch), it’s got stiff competition from another epic by Bollywood’s grand storyteller Sanjay Leela Bhansali with Goliyon Ki Ras Leela Ram-Leela holding seven nominations.
India’s answer to Romeo And Juliet could possibly collect votes from the most hardened, romantically challenged cynics largely due to the chemistry between the lead pair, Ranveer Singh and Padukone, who play star-crossed lovers.
If all goes well, Padukone will pull a Vidya Balan: In 2012, Balan was the dominant force during the awards season, sweeping all the trophies with her risque drama The Dirty Picture.
IIFA winners are chosen through public voting on the IIFA official website. The results are kept confidential and declared for the first time when the sealed envelope is opened onstage at the IIFA Awards presentation ceremony, which is being held this Saturday.
This year’s IIFA Best Film list is predictable and has a good mix of blockbusters and content-driven films. While popular moneyspinners such as Dhoom 3, starring Aamir Khan, and Chennai Express, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, top the list, there’s also the quintessential Bollywood underdog, Kai Po Che!, featuring a clutch of relative unknowns, such as Sushant Singh Rajput and Rajkumar.
Producer Rakesh Roshan, who ruled the 2001 IIFAs with a stupendous win with Kaho … Na Pyaar Hai, marks his return to the IIFA awards with a total of five nominations.
There’s also Ranbir Kapoor’s romantic comedy featuring ex-flame Padukone, Yeh Jawaaani Hai Deewani, emerging strong with six nominations. The tale of four friends, Kapoor, Padukone, Kalki Koechlin and Aditya Rao Kapur, has rightfully grabbed a spot in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actors categories.
So far, so good. But where there are awards nominations, there are snubs — namely, of Irrfan Khan’s delectable romance The Lunchbox and Akshay Kumar’s con man drama Special 26, both missing from the Best Film list.
While Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Nimrat Kaur have received Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor (female) nods for The Lunchbox, Khan’s exclusion (he played the soon-to-be-retired accountant Saajan to perfection) leaves a bitter aftertaste.
Special 26 gets its foot in the IIFA door through Anupam Kher, who has a Best Supporting Actor nod for his role as a comic con man and a flight risk.
South Indian star Dhanush, who made his Bollywood debut with Raanjhanaa, is also missing from the Best Actor list. He was the surprise package of the romantic drama, which did brisk business with its theme of unrequited love, a subject that has often emerged triumphant at the IIFAs (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Kal Ho Na Ho stand as proof).
Apart from Padukone, whose name features three times in the Best Actor (Female) list for Chennai Express, GKRLRL and YJHD, it is Rishi Kapoor who has the distinction of being nominated twice, in the Performance In A Negative Role category, for being on the wrong side of the law in both Aurangzeb and D-Day.
Shraddha Kapoor looks most likely to cause an upset for Bollywood girl-of-the-moment Padukone. While she did a good job at playing a successful Bollywood singer hopelessly in love with her alcoholic mentor (Aditya Roy Kapur), her chances to clinch the gong appear slim with Padukone’s triple nominations.
Predictably, Aashiqui 2 scores big on the musical front with its nominations for Best Lyrics, Best Playback singer (male and female) and music direction. After all, Sun Raha Ha and Tum Hi Ho are now must-play anthems in clubs, at Indian weddings and birthdays and are go-to songs for break-ups.
The nominations list can be dissected until the stars arrive fashionably late on the IIFA green carpet, but it’s often been observed that winners at most Bollywood awards nights have been dictated by a star’s presence or absence.
Padukone gave us a handy tip: leave our cynicism at the door and enjoy one of Bollywood’s biggest awards night. We might just do that.
Don’t miss it!
tabloid! will be in Tampa Bay covering all the action from the IIFA weekend, which runs from Wednesday to Saturday. We will give you all the action from the green carpet, gossip during rehearsals and who won what at the IIFA 2014 awards. Check @gulfnewstabloid for updates.
