Bollywood award ceremonies aren’t just about appreciating good films and good work; they’re also about razzle-dazzle and song and dance spectacles. tabloid! rounds up the highlights of Zee Cine Awards 2016, held in Mumbai at the Reliance Jio Gardens, on February 20.
Arjun Kapoor rocks in red heels
Kareena Kapoor Khan had a recorded message for all the actors in the room. How many men could wear pain-inducing vertiginous heels and dance?, she asked. The man of the hour was Arjun Kapoor. He danced in a pair of ferocious red heels, designed by Manish Malhotra, like he was born into them. Yes, it may have been a blatant promotion of his next film, Ki and Ka, a drama in which he plays a househusband, but it worked like a charm.
Sushant Singh Rajput pays tribute to Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan did not attend the Zee Cine Awards 2016, but Sushant Singh Rajput ensured that we still celebrated the Dilwale star. Rajput interspersed iconic dialogues from Khan’s hit films, such as Baazigar and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, with his hit songs to get his show on the road. There was even a gigantic crown, studded with jewels descending from the sky, to underline Khan’s Bollywood King title. While his moves were perfect, it was tough to ignore Salman Khan’s surly expression; he was seated in the front row.
Ranveer Singh on the brink of being a smoking hot superstar?
You know you are in the presence of a star who’s poised to become a superstar when two things happen: he smokes during interviews without seeking permission and his secretary turns into a surly jailer who times the interview with rabid intensity. Say hello to Ranveer Singh, who took home 12 awards at the Zee Cine Awards. He’s on the cusp of being the next big matinee idol and he is not going to let us forget it. Two questions only, his secretary kept reminding us with a regularity that made us wonder if she had mistaken us for dimwits. It was 12.30am and the awards ceremony had just wrapped up. He was understandably tired and perhaps blowing smoke into our faces was a therapy of sorts, but Singh powered through. A few hours earlier, he was like a toddler on a sugar high. He was bouncing on stage, bouncing off it, leaping to people to give them hugs.
The Bajirao Mastani (BM) warrior made it a point to envelope everyone in a tight embrace each time his BM team won something. He even rolled out an energetic live performance by dancing to a medley of his hit songs. He may not be a charismatic dancer like Hrithik Roshan, but he makes up for it with his zest as a showman.
So where does he get this incredible energy from? “I love large crowds and I love performing live. There’s a trend of stars pre-recording their shows live and I am guilty of the same. But the feeling when you perform live is never the same. Those nerves before going in front of a live audience and that you-better-nail-it-in-one-shot [pressure] makes you realise that you better make it worth it. As a performer, you feel you owe it to the audience to put your best in it,” said Singh on the sidelines of the show.
He had a phenomenal awards season this year and his trophy cabinet is ever-growing.
“And to realise that Mr Salman Khan was sitting in front of me, watching me … He seemed pleased and that was an extra-motivation to perform well in front of one of my screen idols,” he added.
But his highlight was being able to congratulate the technical team of Bajirao Mastani. “It was a shared moment of victory. I was glad that Bajirao won so many awards.”
Karan Johar and Shahid Kapoor’s self-deprecating humour ...
Producer Karan Johar tasted failure when his romantic comedy Shaandaar, starring Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, bombed at the box office.
But before anyone could tease them about it, Johar and Kapoor — who came together to host the Zee Cine Awards 2016 — took it upon themselves to highlight their colossal cinematic disaster. It was epic to see them spar about who did worse? Even actress Sonakshi Sinha, who came briefly on stage to announce the nominations, wasn’t spared. Her flop, action film Tevar, came under fire, but Sinha was a sport and laughed along.
The ‘Parinda’ stars share a golden moment ...
Anil Kapoor took home the International Icon Of The Year trophy, but it was heartening to see him talk of his Parinda co-star Nana Patekar in his acceptance speech. He called Patekar one of Bollywood’s greatest actors with an incredible acting range. His anecdote about Hollywood directors being impressed by Patekar’s acting skills made you believe that two men in a competitive entertainment industry can be good friends.
Also, watch out for Kapoor’s energetic song-dance performance as he busted some moves from his iconic film Ram Lakhan. “Boys, watch and learn, this is how it’s done,” he declared as he showed the younger actors including his nephew Arjun Kapoor and actor Singh, on how to keep it together even if you are past 50. He also pointed out that Bollywood dancing can be a fat-busting cardio workout.
At one point, Singh hopped onto the stage and lunged forward to touch Kapoor’s feet, as a mark of respect.
Don’t miss it
Zee Cine Awards 2016 will air on Zee Cinema channel from 7.30pm (curtain raiser at 6pm, red carpet at 7pm)
