Zee Cine Award 2008 - Event

Zee Cine Awards 2008 - Red Carpet

Hello Karan, it’s Amitabh...

Now that Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj starring the Bachchans (Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya) is due for release, Bachchan Sr is going all out to protect his close friend and director.

It is learnt that Karan Johar, who hosted the Zee Cine awards in London, along with Sajid Khan was especially told by Big B not to ridicule Ramu.

In the past, award ceremonies have been noted to poke fun at Ramu and his disaster Aag.

Informs a source, “When Karan was enroute to London, Bachchan called him and requested him not to take potshots at his family and friends, especially Ramu — who has been at the receiving end at most award events.

For instance, during the Filmfare awards, hosts Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan had even given Aag’s Na-Real award to Ramesh Sippy for being the bravest person to have sat through Aag!

Due to Big B’s request, certain jokes and one-liners on Ramu and Aag were dropped from Sajid and Karan’s script at the last moment.

It was tough for Karan to keep a balance between the script and please Bachchan whose son, Abhishek is working in his home production, Dostana.”

When asked if he had called up Karan to to protect Ramu, Bachchan says tersely, “No. I have not.” Karan remained unavailable for comment.

KJo does a Shilpa!

Karan Johar and Sajid Khan hosted the Zee Awards in London on Saturday. The duo did the Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty kiss sequence where Karan played Shilpa and Sajid was Gere.

Shilpa, who was present there, had a blast watching the re-enaction. KJo and Sajid also sang Aap Jaisa Koi to Rekha and Zeenat Aman.

Another special moment was when a frail Feroz Khan walked onto the stage to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while a teary-eyed crowd watched on.

Shah Rukh (for Chak De! India) got Best Actor, Kareena, the Best Actress (for Jab We Met). Chak De! India took home the Best Film award and Aamir Khan bagged Best Director for Taare Zameen Par.

It was an awkward moment for everyone when Amole Gupte went to receive the Best Screenplay award for Taare Zameen Par and thanked everyone but Aamir!

When Chunky reminded Amole that he had forgotten Aamir’s name, Amole just walked off the stage. KJo and Sajid gave away 15 mobile phones to the audience in a Q&A interactive session.

Sallu gul

Salman didn’t attend the Zee Cine Awards in London due to shoddy treatment meted out to him by the organisers

Salman Khan was to perform on Saturday at the Zee Cine Awards in London. However, the actor did a no-show following differences with the organisers Cineyug (the Morani brothers) over his act.

Says a source, “Salman was to take the 1.40 am Jet Airways flight to London on Friday night but did a no-show. But he was not unprofessional as he returned the agreement and cheque the same night — the moment he decided he wouldn’t be going.

He has never done something like this before, so obviously, he must have had a very strong reason for backing out at the last moment.”

Change of choreographer

The source explains about Salman’s no-show. “Ganesh Hegde was to originally choreograph Salman’s act but since the actor has a problem with him, the Moranis replaced Ganesh with a choreographer called Rajesh.

Things were fine till Salman saw the act choreographed by Rajesh on Friday afternoon. He was shocked at how shoddily it was conceived. The second-hand treatment had deeply upset Salman.

The Moranis are known to be very close to Shah Rukh Khan and they would never have dared to so such a thing with SRK.”

Adds the source, “Salman felt insulted at the treatment being meted out to a big star like him. He called up Pradeep Guha of Zee, who is one of his close friends and explained the situation to him.

Pradeep understood the situation and told the Moranis that under such circumstances it wasn’t possible for Salman to attend the event.

Finally Zee had to perform with Shah Rukh, Upen Patel, Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena, and Jay Sean. Salman’s girlfriend Katrina who was already in London on Thursday performed solo.”

However, the official reason given out is that Salman was down with high fever and an injury. While Pradeep Guha remained unavailable for comment, Ali Morani says, “It had nothing to do with the act. Pradeep (Guha) told us that Salman was injured and couldn’t dance. Salman loved the act when he saw it.”

Salman Khan’s secretary, Vikas Kapoor maintains that there was no problem with the act. Vikas says, “Yes it’s true that Salman didn’t go for the awards but injury was the only reason.

Salman had a hamstring pull in his left leg. He got it when he was shooting for Boney Kapoor’s Wanted.”

Upala KBR

Bollywood awards forego politics to reward deserving recipients

It was supposed to be an evening of mishaps, chaos, and terrible organization. This was what was expected if previous Bollywood award shows are anything to go by.

Fortunately, for film fans, this award function was different. Yes the venue was hot, the organization chaotic and the show began late and finished later. But the galaxy of stars that descended on London during the Lux Zee Cine Awards 2008 and the deserved award choices themselves more than made up for any shortcomings.

Opening with a great tribute to yesteryears stars courtesy of Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma team, film fans were delighted to see a young boy render a few lines from Junglee while being spurred on by the great Shammi Kapoor. Zeenat Aman, Padmini Kohlapure, Poonam Dhillon, Govinda and Fardeen Khan were also targeted in what was a sweet nod to the songs of Hindi cinema through the ages and those who made them their own. Once Karan Johar and Sajid Khan appeared on stage they made it known they would pull no punches in poking fun at the mad world that is a kaleidoscope of colors. Delivering quips in good faith, they gave the Oscars a run for their money where entertaining and self-deprecating hosts are concerned. Chunky Pandey followed this tradition by pushing the envelope further and drew ecstatic laughs.

Performance wise the only highlights were an acapella piece by British sens-asian Jay Sean and his crew who captivated an audience with no orchestra, just simple beats, and harmonies. The sight of these three young men in comparison to the elaborate dances that had preceded them, were a testimony to the fact that talent can manifest in small numbers as well as droves. Completely in his element, Jay Sean ruled the stage as he has often done on an international stage and delivered notes that had some of the audience's women weak at the knees. The other note-worthy performance was a fun-filled song from Om Shanti Om where Shah Rukh Khan left his audience breathless; reminding them how much fun they keep missing when he's not on tour. Hands clapped, people cheered and dancing in the aisles was no longer relegated to Indian cinemas as a host of Bollywood stars got London out of their seats to groove to the infectious beat in a sequence that celebrated the film fraternity's bond of brotherhood. With appearances on stage from Arjun Rampal, Saif Ali Khan, Neha Dhupia, Dia Mirza, Dino Morea, and others, shuffling in and out of the wings akin to the magical moments created in the film version.

The not-so-noteworthy performances came from Vidya Balan who failed to translate her grace and mastery of the screen onto the stage. Upen Patel, the much-hyped bad boy of Britain proved to only be terrible at oozing charisma, failing to ignite, excite, or entertain. Seeing his performance and the over-the-top attitude he portrays in his sluggish dancing only re-ascertains the fact that the new crowd have a lot to learn from the real pros. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor delivered decent acts but did a by-the-books routine which only mirrored what they had done elsewhere. Katrina Kaif performed well but her confidence slipped to nervousness at regular points bringing down what could have been strong debut performance on an international stage.

Among the biggest highlights of the evening were the awards, which saw artistes who had been previously overlooked get their just rewards. Aamir Khan, known for not attending award functions has often been neglected from the scene for this very reason, but his film was given two gongs in the Best Director and Most Promising Child Debut categories. Govinda got a Best Supporting Actor award for Partner, an important award to an artiste who was not considered an actor for years, peaked in the 90's then disappeared off the screen only resurfacing in recent times to as much love as he generated 15 years ago. Shilpa Shetty won the Best Supporting Actress award and dedicated her award to London, a city that has given her so much in recent times, and to Metro - the film that gave her a good role, a brilliant script and an opportunity to break the mould and conventions of popular commercial cinema to widespread attention.

The Best Actor in a Negative Role went to Arjun Rampal for Om Shanti Om. It was a moment when a hardworking actor who has given his all to his profession and not coasted through it like some of his contemporaries, was finally given acceptance. Arjun Rampal has always set the screen on fire but his looks have often overshadowed the intensity and depth he can bring to a role. He deserved this long-overdue accolade and I'll go on record to say he deserves a Best Actor award next year for his work in the forthcoming The Last Lear, which has been delayed by almost a year but still looks fresh in a timeless tale of obsession, passion and movies. What is interesting is that this young man has still not peaked in an arena where he continues to grow on screen, watching newcomers around him arrive and leave without finding their footing, proving that the industry would do wise to invest more in those who have a reservoir of untapped talent rather than try to find fresh faces. The Best Actor award went to Shah Rukh Khan for Chak De! India (also the recipient of the Best Film award), Best Actress to Kareena Kapoor for Jab We Met and Best Music to AR Rahman for Guru.

If Indian cinema has truly begun to recognize and reward its finest talents rather than succumb to continuing a trend, which simply saturates the whole notion of awards, this is only the beginning of a new renaissance of Bollywood fever.

Fuad Omar

Winners of the Zee Cine Awards 2008

Best Film
Chak De! India - Aditya Chopra, Yash Raj Films

Best Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par

Best Actor (Male)
Shah Rukh Khan - Chak De! India

Best Actor (Female)
Kareena Kapoor - Jab We Met

Most Popular Track Of The Year
Mauja Hi Mauja - Jab We Met

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male)
Govinda - Partner

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female)
Shilpa Shetty - Life In A.. Metro

Best Actor In A Comic Role (Male/Female)
Vinay Pathak - Bheja Fry

Best Actor In A Negative Role (Male/Female)
Arjun Rampal - Om Shanti Om

Best Playback Singer (Male)
Shaan - Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Shreya Ghosal - Barso Re Megha (Guru)

Best Lyrics
Prasoon Joshi - Maa (Taare Zameen Par)

Best Music
A R Rahman - Guru

Most Promising Debut Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par

Most Promising Debut (Male)
Ranbir Kapoor - Saawariya

Most Promising Debut (Female)
Deepika Padukone - Om Shanti Om

Most Promising Debut (Child Artiste)
Darsheel Safary - Taare Zameen Par

Technical Awards
Best Choreographer - Farah Khan - Om Shanti Om
Best Costume – Manish Malhotra & Karan Johar - Om Shanti Om
Best Visual Effects - Red Chilli's Entertainment - Om Shanti Om
Best Editing – Amitabh Shukla - Chak de India
Best Cinematography - Sandip Chaterjee- Chak de India
Best Action - Parvez Khan - Jhonny Gaddar
Best Film Processing - ADLABS - Namastey London
Best Art Direction - Nitin Desai - Gandhi my Father
Best Sound recording – Baylon Ponseca - Shootout at lokhandwala
Best Background Music - AR Rahman - Guru
Best Screenplay - Imtiyaz Ali - Jab We Met
Best Dialogue - Jaideep Sahani - Chak De India
Best Story - Amol Gupte - Taare Zammen Par
Zee Icon award – Shah Rukh Khan
Zee Cinema Entertainer of the year – Ritesh Deshmukh
Lifetime Achievement – Zeenat Amaan
Lifetime Achievement – Feroz Khan
British Indian Actor Award – Katrina Kaif
Bollywod Queen Award - Gauri Khan

Critics Awards
Best Film – Gandhi My Father
Best Actress – Shifali Shah – Gandhi my Father
Best Actor – Darsheel Safary – Taare Zameen Par
Critics Special Awards - Neil Nitin Mukesh

Sajid-Karan to host Zee Awards

They say, love changes…everything…similarly success also changes…Everything. Host-cum-dost Sajid Khan's prowess as super-hit director which got noticed with his debut film, Heyy Babyy, has rubbed off big time on his confidence and timing as entertainment world's premiere host as was evident at the Star Screen Awards this year. He will be back to hosting another big event and that too with another superstar Compere, Karan Johar, at the Zee Cine Awards in London on April 26th 2008. “Yes, we are hosting it together,” Sajid confirmed to us.

This is for the first time that Sajid and Karan will be hosting a show together. So, have you planned something unique and different to surprise and entertain the audience? “I can't talk about it right now. But yes, Karan hasn't hosted a show with a male host before and nor have I. I respect and admire Karan.”

Sajid has another ace up his sleeve as he is all set to host a chat show on a new TV Channel (name yet to be disclosed). “The show is called Sajid's Superstar.” We've heard it is somewhat similar to Karan Johar's Koffee with Karan. “It is absolutely different. It has many fun oriented rounds. It's in Hindi and the duration of the show is 1 hour.”

Alright, let's talk about Sajid, the filmmaker. Well, after the humungous success of Heyy Babyy, Khan will get busy with Houseful, a romantic comedy by the end of the year. The cast already includes Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan and Riteish Deshmukh. So, Sajid, what is it about Houseful that you haven't shared with a journalist so far? “I shall be finalizing the music director of the film soon. I am hunting for a heroine and a big actor.” Any idea who the big actor may be? “If I tell you the hunt will be over,” Sajid said with a chuckle.

Faridoon Shahryar

Nominations for the Zee Cine Awards 2008

Best Film
Chak De India
Guru
Jab We Met
Life in a Metro
Om Shanti Om
Taare Zameen Par

Best Actor (Male)
Abhishek Bachchan - Guru
Akshay Kumar - Namastey London
Amitabh Bachchan - Cheeni Kum
Shah Rukh Khan - Chak De! India
Shah Rukh Khan - Om Shanti Om
Shahid Kapur - Jab We Met

Best Actor (Female)
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan- Guru
Deepika Padukone - Om Shanti Om
Kareena Kapoor - Jab We Met
Katrina Kaif - Namastey London
Tabu - Cheeni Kum
Vidya Balan - Bhool Bhulaiyaa

Best Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par
Anurag Basu - Life in a Metro
Farah Khan - Om Shanti Om
Imtiaz Ali - Jab We Met
Mani Ratnam - Guru
Shamit Amin - Chak De! India

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male)
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par
Bobby Deol - Naqaab
Irrfan Khan Life In A.. Metro
Mithun Chakraborty - Guru
Shreyas Talpade - Om Shanti Om

Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female)
Chitrashi - Chak De! India
Konkona Sen Sharma - Life In A.. Metro
Lara Dutta - Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
Shilpa Shetty - Life In A.. Metro
Tisca Chopra - Taare Zameen Par

Best Actor In A Negative Role (Male/Female)
Arjun Rampal - Om Shanti Om
Neil Nitin Mukesh - Johnny Gaddar
Pawan Malhotra - Black Friday
Shilpa Shukla - Chak De! India
Viveik Oberoi - Shootout At Lokhandwala

Best Actor In A Comic Role (Male/Female)
Anil Kapoor - Welcome
Nana Patekar - Welcome
Riteish Deshmukh - Heyy Baby
Tusshar Kapoor - Dhol
Vinay Pathak - Bheja Fry

Most Popular Track Of The Year
Barso Re - Guru
Dard-E-Disco- Om Shanti Om
Do You Wanna Partner - Partner
Hare Ram Hare Krishna - Bhool Bhulaiya
In Dino - Life In A Metro
Mauja Hi Mauja - Jab We Met

Best Playback Singer (Male)
KK - Aankhon Mein Teri (Om Shanti Om)
Shaan - Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Soham - In Dino (Life In A.. Metro)
Sukhwinder Singh, Salim Merchant & Marianna D'Cruz - Kuchh Kariye (Chak De India)
Sonu Nigam - Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)

Best Playback Singer (Female)
Mahalaxmi Iyer - Bolna Halke (Jhoom Barabar Jhoom)
Mahalaxmi Iyer - Salaam-e-Ishq (Salaam-e-Ishq)
Shreya Ghosal - Barso Re Megha (Guru)
Shreya Ghosal - Yeh Ishq Haaye (Jab We Met)
Sunidhi Chauhan - Sajnaji Vaari Vaari (Honeymoon Travels P Ltd)

Best Lyrics
Gulzar - Tere Bina (Guru)
Javed Akhtar - Main Agar Kahoon (Om Shanti Om)
Prasoon Joshi - Maa (Taare Zameen Par)
Sameer - Jab Se Tere Naina (Saawariya)
Sayeed Quadri - In Dino (Life In A.. Metro)

Best Music
A R Rahman - Guru
Pritam - Life in a Metro
Pritam, Sandesh Shandilya - Jab We Met
Sajid-Wajid - Partner
Vishal-Shekhar - Om Shanti Om

Most Promising Debut Director
Aamir Khan - Taare Zameen Par
Feroz Abbas Khan - Gandhi My Father
R Balakrishna - Cheeni Kum
Reema Kagti - Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd
Sajid Khan - Heyy Babyy

Most Promising Debut (Male)
Himesh Reshammiya - Aap Ka Suroor
Neil Nitin Mukesh - Johnny Gaddar
Ranbir Kapoor - Saawariya

Most Promising Debut (Female)
Deepika Padukone - Om Shanti Om
Jiah Khan - Nishabd
Sonam Kapoor - Saawariya

Most Promising Debut (Child Artiste)
Darsheel Safary - Taare Zameen Par
Druv Piyush Panjuani - Apna Aasmaan
Swini Khera - Cheeni Kum