NEW DELHI: The NDTV Indian of the Year Awards Ceremony saw a mix of Bollywood and political celebrities gather to recognise eminent personalities from the country and honour them for their contribution towards Indian Society and the world.
Representing the Bollywood fraternity were Bollywood actors Sridevi Boney Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar, who were also recipients of the awards.
After being honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri, Sridevi was awarded the ‘Entertainer of the Year’ for her momentous comeback with Gauri Shinde’s ‘English Vinglish’ in 2012. NDTV applauded the actress for establishing that ‘talent can only get better with age’ and for making it possible for ‘actresses of substance’ to take center-stage in Bollywood. The award was presented to Sridevi by BJP leader Sushma Swaraj who revealed that she loved watching Sridevi’s films.
‘English Vinglish’ went on to become a universal hit making it in the list of the Top 10 International Blockbusters of 2012. Sridevi had received a standing ovation at the film’s World Premiere at the ‘Toronto Film Festival’ and was hailed by the International Media as ‘India’s Meryl Streep.’
Kareena Kapoor, on the other hand, looked stunning in a Manish Malhotra creation as she collected the ‘Entertainer of the Decade’ award. She spoke about how the role of female stars in Bollywood is evolving to become more and more significant with every passing day. She also offered her condolences to the Delhi rape victim hoping that Indian women get the justice they deserve.
The newly married actor also spoke about Saif and their married life: “I am a woman in love and when you are in love, you cross boundaries.” She also joked, “Saif and I contribute to air fare sales.”
Kareena also congratulated Sridevi and stated that Sridevi is the reason why she became an actress. She said that after ‘English Vinglish’ Sridevi had set the bar again for all Bollywood actresses. Later the actress was seen sitting and enjoying a conversation with Sheila Dikshit.
The multi-talented Farhan Akhtar gave a moving performance of ‘Ankhon Mein Jiske’ from his movie ‘Rock On!’ following which he recited a poem he penned for India’s Brave Heart, the Delhi Rape Victim, who died after being brutally gang-raped in a moving bus.
