Bollywood blues
The Zee Cine Awards ceremony in Dubai saw virtually every emotion on stage — except copious tears. That flows, post-event, from unexpected quarters. The show per se highlighted the Dubai dateline on Indian dailies, and assures more Bollywood galas in the Gulf. Rajeev Nair writes
The Indian reporters, who flew in from Mumbai to cover the Zee Cine Awards ceremony, hosted for the first time in seven years outside India, in Dubai, bracketed the 7000-odd audience in one mould: The stinking rich.
Hadn’t we all shelled out Rs50,000 to attend the show? So shouldn’t we all be a patient lot, ready to wait in the long queues, while they, the privileged press-people from very own India, don’t even have easy access? Off-stage mis-management, they lambasted.
None, however, has so far argued on the mind-boggling glitz of on-stage entertainment that Zee Cine Awards 2004, indeed, was.
The event, reporters say, has been excellent. And we the rich Dubai-Indians would cherish the show even more — for haven’t we flashed our Rs50,000?
Not every one in the audience have spent that much money on Zee Cine Awards. However, many who weren’t part of the Bollywood star-fall which Dubai Airport Expo witnessed that last Thursday evening of a cold February, would have more than willingly fished out Dhs5000.
Surely, not every one has that kind of the money. Also likely that they couldn’t lay hands on the tickets. It was a sell-out crowd, and if there were empty chairs, well, blame it on the sponsors who hung on to their privileged tickets without happily giving them away.
Now…
The winners have gone home… another trophy added on to their living room showcase. And as Rakesh Roshan, who walked away with the best director and best film trophies, said: Another reason not to forget Dubai.
There weren’t losers tears worth the name. Best debut (female) winner Bhumika Chawla tried an emotionally charged acceptance speech. After all that confident compering, good try, we dare say.
One obviously disappointed contender — the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio — picked the listener’s choice award run by a local FM station. They trod off visibly happy.
Shah Rukh Khan was not to win the best actor award. (Overheard: Hrithik did such a cute act, didn’t he, darling?) Khan was rewarded Superstar of the Year. Preity Zinta too earned the ‘Superstar’ tag, while Urmila Matondkar took home with the best actress gold. Amitabh Bachchan was celebrated as the Golden Great, which post-show reports say, he wasn’t sure whether he won it or was asked to give it out to old pal (Veeru) Dharmendra.
There are more post-show reports of how Bachchan was offended with a “15th row seating” and how his politician-friend Amar Singh fought for a front row after the towering super-star was almost mobbed by fans.
“What can I say? If they thought I was suited for the 15th row, so be it. It’s my friend and brother (politician) Amar Singh who took offence on my behalf,” Bachchan later told Indo-Asian News Service.
Another enterprising reporter said of Singh exchanging blows with Shah Rukh Khan, which has been dumped as “mere fiction.”
As complaints go, Shahid Kapoor, who bagged the best debut (male), commented on stage about how he was rattled by the security guys. Those men in black and a menacing grimace…can’t blame them if they fail to spot a star from a glittering 7,000 audience. Aren’t we NRIs simply dashing?
Such is the stuff that drives gossip mills, when we don’t debate about bids on trophies that would boost the tormented ego of fallen stars. Phil Collins was singing: “She calls out to the man on the streets….” Rajesh (no surname scooped out) was moved. Salman Khan almost cried. What a noble moment! Ironies to follow….Will the old women in an Indian old age home be the eventual losers?
As Shah Rukh Khan commented about carrying with him the opening credit in his complimentary meBank account, Dubai has enough rich men to wipe their tears. Presumably.
Every film gala generates spicy stuff. And leaves some questions unanswered. Some of the more frivolous ones would be: Why did Shah Rukh Khan eventually opt out of making that crane act, which would have paraded him over the audiences’ heads? When will Javed Jaffrey put up a more palatable compering act? And will the presenters stop regarding the audience as a bunch of kids, who aren’t aware that every line of theirs is rehearsed and out there on the teleprompter?
On a more serious note though Zee Cine Awards, like every other popular film award ceremony in India, on which actor Amir Khan has gone on record saying he has no faith, raises more industry-specific issues.
Does Bollywood need the popular and critics award dichotomy?
Why do shabby productions make it to the nominations?
When would Bollywood find a true place in international cinema, while staying loyal to the “music video” tag for its films?
Why can’t the Hindi film industry generate another Sundance event that promotes indie (read that as art) films?
And when will Karan Johar and his tribe indeed grow up, and celebrate quality cinema, not mushy melodrama?
That popular cinema is not necessarily the best is underscored in Bollywood. That rank bad acting can still fetch you a place in best performance nominations happens in Bollywood. That sheer glitz and meaningless attitude can slaughter blossoming talent is exemplified in Bollywood.
Zee Cine Awards 2004 served no exception to Bollywood’s commercially driven fancies.
Apart from a few surprises, where films that swam against the currents of commercialism did find mention and acknowledgment, over all, as with most popular film awards in India, Zee Cine Awards played to the gallery.
It was a perfect balancing act where those who lose out in the “democratic” voting process were given a consolatory berth. Winners all was the mantra. And winners all, they were. Actors, technicians…
Not to forget Miss Niru, Natasha, Miss Nair and Jamal, who were picked from the audience to go on stage and pampered with gifts by none other than a charged Shah Rukh Khan. His was a display of incredible stage presence and confidence. Khan’s wisecracks weren’t all rehearsed. And he easily took the audience by storm…
Another performer who truly shined through the evening was Pakistani artiste, Omar Sherif, whose stand-up comedy had the guests in splits.
Also winning was the sheer showmanship of Bollywood technicians. The stage, the well choreographed dances, the effects …they were truly dazzling making even the die-hard opponent of Bollywood trivia, a loyal fan of its razzmatazz.
Indo-Pak camaraderie was a pertinent winner. Every one advocated friendship sans borders to the point of rhetoric and Urmila stressed the point in her acceptance speech.
The biggest winner, however, has been Dubai. Not for the Rs50,000 cheeky show of wealth by the NRIs…
But for the datelines it earned in the international press. It was proclaiming to Bollywood its presence as a new, untapped destination for films, stage shows, and grand galas like the Red Bull aftershow party held at Grand Hyatt Dubai.
And as Bollywood’s song-dance formula fare go, Dubai has takers aplenty.
