LOVE  WAS TO  WIN  THAT  NIGHT,
EVERY  LOVER  WON

WE were sure love still had the power to work wonders. That’s why we chose love as the theme for the fifth Screen-Videocon Awards ceremony held at the Andheri Sports Complex on the night of January 16. There were cynics who smirked at our theme but we stuck to love with the determination of a true lover. We started preparing for the great show with love. We worked like a team of some of the greatest lovers trying to save love for more than a month. We had full faith in our love for love and we were proved right all the way when love really made some of the most difficult things, some of the most impossible or unimaginable happenings happen, happen the way we wanted them to. That night love had decided to dedicate itself to our function all the way.

What greater proof did we (or anyone) need to prove that love was on our side, with us, than the most amazing miracle. It worked — two lovers winning two major awards — Ajay Devgan for the Best Actor for his performance in Zakhm and Kajol for the Best Actress for her performance in Dushman. Ajay and Kajol are madly in love, the whole world knows. They have grown mature both as human beings and as artistes as they have walked along the path of love and their awards are awards for keeping true to love, true to their profession, growing in love and not going mad in love. The ovation the two received proved how much the world loves true lovers. We are sure no two lovers who are also artistes must have received the Best Actor and the Best Actress awards at the same awards ceremony anywhere in the world. Prove it and we will present you with a lovable trophy the next time! It was one of the most emotional lovable moments when the two lovers rested their heads on each others’ shoulders as they walked round the aisle with their trophies in their hands.

The function which was anxiously awaited by ten thousand men, women and children got off to a grand start when choreographer Ahmed Khan and his group of dancers unveiled the trophy on the stage amidst lights, lasers and fire works, a stage which reminded many of the castles built during the time of Romeo and Juliet, two of the greatest lovers in the world (set designed by Rehmat Ali Khan). Ahmed and his boys literally transported the audience to a world where only lovers lived according to rules formed by and laid down in a rare constitution of lovers, for lovers, by lovers only...

Time took over and then for four long hours it was stars, starlight, stardust, awards, music, dance, the Titanic landing on stage (yes!) and some of the most mesmerising acts performed by our own earthly people who were transformed into great lovers till the time the function lasted. The show started with Mamta Kulkarni with her most talked about body taking off and swaying and dancing with gusto to two of her most popular songs, Bholi bhaali ladki and Koi aa ke le jaaye. No slip, no gaffe, no problem. She was so much like a lover possessed while she danced away to glory in a dazzling white dress which will be remembered for long...

The crowd had just started expecting more and more and they were getting what they wanted and more. Govinda walked onto the stage with Rani Mukerji and proxied for Aamir Khan and did the Aati kya Khandala number with Rani. And it was difficult to decide who was better, Govinda “the prince of entertainment” or Aamir Khan, “the little emperor of excellence”. The crowd kept asking for some more and Rani Mukerji came back within moments to sing and dance to her song, Koi mil gaya, from her film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

The struggle between time, love, entertainment and the long list of awards went on and on but love and romance refused to lose out to any power, not even time.

It was time for Shilpa Shetty to dazzle the stage. She started off with her favourite Churake dil mera and followed it with a medley of her own songs. Her real life lover boy ‘Babu’ (Akshay Kumar) had promised to come and watch her perform. He also asked us for four more passes but woh phir nahi aaya, but the ever-so popular professional Shilpa never let her heartbreak break the hearts of thousands of her other lovers in the crowd out there...

The list of awards, the most significant part of the night, continued, presenters called, the nominess announced, clips shown and then that heart-pounding line ‘and the award goes to...’ (see list of awards alongside and a complete picture of the scene and the people involved in the show that night next week)...

It was time for some more entertainment which was lapped up by the crowds sprawled all over the stadium. The two brothers, Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan (dressed in a police officer’s uniform) took the stage and performed a skit which kept the crowds in splits. They found a whole lot of new admirers that night because what they did that night proved that they had the rare ability to laugh at themselves. That’s entertainment if entertainment has to mean real good healthy entertainment. It was good to know the Khans were so good...

It was time for another big splash of entertainment. AR Rahman who Mumbai rarely sees or experiences, the whizkid from the South and his team of thirty musicians and singers were all over the stage and for the next few minutes it was Rahman singing Dil Se from Dil Se straight from his dil and then an original composition from Deepa Mehta’s Earth. The voice of the little man reverberated all around the stadium and reached far and wide, which is Rahman’s goal — making his music spread as far as possible. The effort the man puts into his music is not the creation of an ordinary man or an extraordinary genius. It was the voice of a man who was more soul, a man who can only give clean entertainment, ethereal entertainment, music that elevates. He believes his music is a gift from ‘Allah’. This rare man Rahman finished his part in the show and then quietly returned to his room where he had a special guest waiting for him — Rekhaji with Farzana. He didn’t know what to say. He was stunned. Rekhaji does that to the greatest of people...

Govinda the entertainer No. 1 is not tired of entertaining people. He is not tired of entertaining people anywhere, anytime. That’s his only mission, he proves once more when he sings and dances like only he can perform. He sang and a dance an item from his own music album, Govinda, which has lyrics by his sister Kamini Khanna. The crowds went crazy. They always do. But we are all fighting for time.

There is talk about the Titanic being brought onto the stage. Some say it will. Some say it won’t. We know our director Hosi Vasunia, who is a well-known English theatre man who is doing his first big show in Mumbai. We know he can do it. He brings the Titanic on stage with Ahmed Khan and his boys and girls on it with the song, My heart will do as playing. The scene goes on till the Titanic begins sinking. A titanic feat, Hosi, a gigantic feat, Ahmed and Bobby Khan. Govinda who was a fan of Jaaved Jaffrey as a dancer once is followed by Javed Jaafrey whose song written, composed, choreographed and sung by himself for Bombay Boys is a craze. The crowd goes absolutely crazy. Even the sky and the stars are tempted to sit back and listen to him, it seems at times..

Rageshwari, the well-known pop singer keeps the pop generation swinging in their seats, even standing.

Manoj Bajpai (Bhiku Mhatre), the man who has been the most talked about man in 1998 and his boys and girls dance to the tunes of Sapne mein milti hai. He gets the biggest and loudest applause, almost touching and threatening the Kingdom of Bhau. Some men are born special. Manoj is...

Then the most most mesmerising eight minutes. Three of the most romantic songs recited, sung, choreographed on Rekha. Vishal is the music director. Rekha looks like a pari from another planet and recites three of Gulzar’s most romantic poems. I wish Gulzar was there to see what Rekha had done with his poems. He would have written many more love poems like those three poems. It is one performance Rekha is never going to forget. She has worked on every minute detail. She has worked days and nights. Words cannot thank her for filling the whole world with romance (her favourite subject) that night.

Some elevating emotional moments. Sunil Dutt receiving the Life Time Achievement award from Vivek Goenka and Bruce Davis of the Academy. He is moved to tears. The strong man remembers his mother who brought him up through tough times, his wife Nargis who walked with him through ups and downs, his daughters Namrata and Priya and his two little grand-daughters. He is lost in another world for hours. The only time he comes back is when he realises that his son Sanjay Dutt had promised to come and see him receive the award but hadn’t. Tears form on the tip of his eyes. Why do you have to do such things to your great father, Sanju? Sunil Dutt gets a well-deserved resounding standing ovation.

Asha Bhonsle who at sixty-five is still singing for sixteen year olds receives her special trophy from Ramesh Sippy. Another rousing standing ovation for her. Unbelievable woman. Singing Janam samjha karo which drives young men crazy.

Anand Bakshi, the lyricist getting his first ever award after writing six thousand songs and being nominated more than twenty-four times, something he cannot believe...

The two special guests from Hollywood, Bruce Davis, the chief of the governing council which works on the Oscars and Richard Edlund, guru of special effects who has won Oscars watch this blend of a show of a serious thing like awards and “out of this world entertainment.”

These nights which come once a year are heady nights but you have to experience the hell we go through to make them heady, memorable. The formation of the various juries, the screenings and re-screenings, the building of the set, getting the stars to perform (most of the stars do it only if they’re paid these days) and then see that the night goes like the great night you have planned.

The night could go on and on. We could give you much more than we had promised but then the policemen cometh and says “close down or we’ll close it down”. We have to. We are law abiding citizens of mera Bharat mahaan. Janam samjha karo. Pyar mein kya kya hota hai. Samjho to pyar ka nasha aur badh jaata hai aur duniya aur pyari ban jaati hai. Hai na? Zara socho. Ek saal tak sochte raho. Phir milege, aur pyaar ki baaten karenge.