TOIFA Day 3: The main awards deliver a winning performance

BC Place was a sea of colours and sparkles as a beautifully bedecked crowd filled in almost every seat for the first ever Times of India Film Awards on Saturday night.

The arena was vibrant and full of bass as Bollywood set to takeover. Familiar faces in the room were Premier Christy Clark, Finance Minister Mike De Jong and some of Bollywood’s biggest names, including Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan and Shahrukh Kahn.

The event, hosted by Bollywood elites Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma, was awash in colour as Bollywood celebrities danced musical-style performances, local back-up dancers were clad in a rainbow shades, lights pranced around and pyrotechnics flared – TOIFA pulled all the stops typical of Bollywood glamour.

Music performances were had by Bollywood A-listers Kapoor, Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan – who entered BC Place through the excited crowd and circled the floor area on a chariot. Performances by Shahrukh Kahn and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, who descended onto the stage in flashy contraption, elicited a huge response from the anticipating audience.

Mike De Jong was a crowd favourite, even if he did pronounce TOIFA, “TOE-fi.” De Jong good-humouredly learned some Bollywood dance moves from actor Boman Irani, and executed an awkward pelvic thrust. He also tried his hand at speaking Hindi.

Premier Christy Clark, outfitted in cerulean Indian garb, welcomed everyone to the show and thanked Bollywood for coming. She also noted that the back-up dancers onstage were local and she hopes that Bollywood produces more films in Vancouver. She later presented the critic’s choice award for best director.

Bollywood fans, Indian and non, were out in droves and suited up appropriately for the star-studded affair in shimmering saris, brightly-coloured Indian suites and formal western threads, in anticipation of the night ahead.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all the stars and seeing everyone in the community come together, this is a big event for Vancouver and the South Asian community here. It’s nice to see everyone get together,” says Channi Dhillon.

“My husband is East Indian, so I learned about Hindi movies and Bollywood. I’m very excited about tonight,” says Sharice Singh.

The awards ended well after midnight and Barfi! reaped the most awards including, best female and male actor, director and film in the popular choice categories.

TOIFA 2013 winners are:

Best actor in a negative roll – Rishi Kapoor.

Best debut female actor – Ileana D’Cruz.

Best debut male actor – Ayushman Khurrana.

Best female actor in a supporting role – Dolly Ahluwalia.

Best male actor in a supporting role – Annu Kapoor.

Best actor in a comic role – Abhishek Bachchan.

Best female playback singer – Shamili Kolgade.

Best male playback singer – Sonu Iigaam.

Best lyrics – Gulazar.

Best music director – Atul Ajay.

Critic’s award for best film – Gangs of Wasseypur.

Critic’s award for best debut director – Gauri Shinde

Critic’s award for best female actor – Deepika Padukone.

Critic’s award for best male actor – Irrfan Khan.

Best director by popular choice – Anurag Basu.

Best film by popular choice – Barfi!

Best female actor by popular choice – Priyanka Chopra.

Best male actor by popular choice – Ranbir Kapoor.

Written by Neelam Sharma (@_neelamsharma), copy editor at Vancity Buzz and contributer to Desi Ink Magazine. Connect with Desi Ink @desiinkmag and on Facebook.

Photo credit: INS.