The new decade in Bollywood is set to kickstart its awards calendar on Saturday evening with a huge gathering of stars as well as the accompanying drama and glamour in plenty. The Nokia 16th Annual Star Screen Awards 2009?that takes place at Bandra-Kurla?s MMRDA complex in Mumbai?will be the first to celebrate cinema across India, undaunted by the multiplex-producers impasse that crippled the industry for nearly three months.
The year 2009, however, had saved the best for the last. Aamir Khan-starrer 3 Idiots?which released on December 25?has become the biggest grosser of all times. The Star Screen Awards? jury was quick to appreciate the film that?s made history by rewarding it with 21 nominations out of 28 categories. Director Rajkumar Hirani admits to being in a daze. ?It is superb that 3 Idiots has bagged 21 nominations,? says Hirani, who is contending for the Best Director Award with Anurag Kashyap (Dev D), Imtiaz Ali (Love Aaj Kal), R Balki (Paa) and Vishal Bhardwaj (Kaminey).
Interestingly, 3 Idiots, Dev D, Love Aaj Kal,Paa and Kaminey are in the race for the Best Film trophy, apart from bagging multiple nominations. ?We are thrilled that both Dev D and Kaminey have been nominated in the Best Film category. They have been truly path-breaking in redefining what the term commercial cinema can now represent,? says UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapoor.
The industry reacted to the upcoming ceremony with great joy. Delighted about his double nomination, Jury and Popular Best Actor for Paa, Amitabh Bachchan says, ?As always, the Screen Awards set the temperament of the award season. I look forward to witnessing the final result.?
The evening of glamour and glitz will also showcase the best of Bollywood talent at the snazzy stage, dotted with 45-foot-tall Star Screen Awards trophies. Aamir Khan (3 Idiots), Amitabh Bachchan (Paa), Ranbir Kapoor (Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani/Rocket Singh-Salesman of the Year), Saif Ali Khan (Love Aaj Kal) and Shahid Kapoor (Kaminey) have been nominated for the Best Actor Male Award.
The show of talent continues with Deepika Padukone (Love Aaj Kal), Kareena Kapoor (3 Idiots), Katrina Kaif (New York), Priyanka Chopra ( Kaminey) and Vidya Balan (Paa) nominated for the Best Actor Female award.
To ease the suspense between announcing the winners, a number of high-voltage performances have been lined up. Most awaited among the acts are those of Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor. Bipasha Basu, too, has been roped in to recreate the carnival feel of All The Best . However, among the awards ceremony?s best moments may just belong to it newest hosts–Amitabh Bachchan, R Madhavan and Shahid Kapoor–who will definitely heighten the event?s entertainment quotient.