Indian cinema has evolved into a formidable global cultural force. This year, Bollywood celebrated Indian cinema’s international influence with the 25th anniversary of IIFA Awards in the beautiful pink city of Jaipur – marking the first time this prestigious event has been hosted in Rajasthan. 

Festivities commenced on March 8 with the inaugural IIFA Digital Awards, acknowledging excellence in OTT and digital streaming platforms. Winners included ”Amar Singh Chamkila” claiming Best Film and Imtiaz Ali winning Best Direction. The series category saw “Panchayat Season 3” emerge as the standout winner, taking home multiple honors including Best Series and Best Direction for Deepak Kumar Mishra. Notable acting awards went to Kriti Sanon (Best Female Lead, “Do Patti”), Vikrant Massey (Best Male Lead, “Sector 36”), and Jitendra Kumar (Best Male Lead, Series, “Panchayat”). 

The main IIFA Awards ceremony on March 9 saw Kiran Rao’s “Laapataa Ladies” emerge as the night’s biggest winner, sweeping an impressive 10 awards including Best Picture and Best Direction.

Kartik Aaryan claimed the Best Actor award for his performance in “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” while 17-year-old Nitanshi Goel won Best Actress for her role in “Laapataa Ladies.” The film’s remarkable success extended to Best Supporting Actor (Male) for Ravi Kishan, Best Story (Original) for Biplab Goswami, and Best Debut (Female) for Pratibha Ranta. In the musical world, Ram Sampath won Best Music Director and Prashant Pandey claimed Best Lyrics for “Sajni,” both for “Laapataa Ladies,” while Shreya Ghoshal (Best Female Singer for “Ami Je Tomar 3.0” from “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3”) and Jubin Nautiyal (Best Male Singer for “Dua” from “Article 370”) rounded out the honors.

The star-studded ceremony featured memorable performances from Shah Rukh Khan, Kriti Sanon, Shahid Kapoor, and Nora Fatehi, making the Silver Jubilee celebration a fitting tribute to Indian cinema.

 

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All images by APH Images