the major gongs, including best picture,
at India's answer to the Oscars on
Saturday as Bollywood celebrates its
centenary.
Bollywood royalty converged on the
Chinese gambling hub of Macau for the
14th edition of the Indian International
Film Festival, held in the territory's
glittering Venetian resort.
'Barfi!' won six awards, including the
prize for best actor and best director.
The light-hearted film, about a deaf and
mute man from Darjeeling whose life
revolves around two love interests, stars
Ranbir Kapoor -- the great-grandson of
Prithviraj Kapoor, pioneer of Indian film
and an actor in the silent era of Hindi cinema.
"I don't know how you are feeling, but I
am enjoying every moment of it," the
film's director Anurag Basu said. "People can understand the film because
of less words, it's more visual," he added,
saying Western silent movies had inspired
the film.
'Barfi!' also won best story, best
screenplay and best music direction. Ranbir Kapoor was not in Macau to collect
his award for best actor in a leading role.
Vidya Balan was named best actress in a
leading role for her portrayal of a
pregnant woman on a worldwide search
for her missing husband in thriller
'Kahaani'.
A crowd of thousands in the packed Cotai
Arena sang and applauded as their screen
idols performed on stage with dance
troupes and pyrotechnics.
Earlier, eager fans screamed as
celebrities strode the green carpet,
hoping for the chance to get an
autograph from the likes of megastar
Shah Rukh Khan.
"Just to know we have so many well
wishers and fans overseas, it's great,"
said Abhishek Bachchan, who won best
comic performance for his role in 'Bol
Bachchan'. "I think Bollywood is slowly just
progressively capturing international
attention," said popular Bollywood actress
Amrita Rao, who was wearing a silver
strapless gown.
But it was fan favourite Khan who drove
the crowd into a frenzy as they chanted
his name. "I think it's an amazing platform," Khan
said of IIFA, which he said brought
Bollywood film "all over the world".
Khan shared the stage as host with star
Shahid Kapoor. Indian cinema is thriving commercially
after the country produced almost 1,500
movies last year and the industry is
expected to grow to $3.6 billion from $2
billion in the next five years, according to
consultancy KPMG.
Leading the way is Hindi-language
Bollywood, which took the "B" from its
home in Bombay and won the hearts of
movie-mad Indians. The awards are held in a different country
each year -- the next ceremony will take
place in Tampa Bay in the US.
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