There was a hint of mayhem in the air at Sun City last weekend when Bollywood staged its second International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, an outreach campaign tailor-made for film-goers of the Indian diaspora. These are an attempt by the Indian film industry to broaden its appeal, not only to Indian communities far afield but also to “Western” film-goers looking for a different cinema going experience.
Crowds of fans hugged the pavements of the resort as motorcades shuttled movie stars from their hotels to the Sun City entertainment centre where the award ceremony took place.
Of course, Sun City is the perfect venue for such an event with its grandiosity and tight security and so, for the weekend, it seemed like the entire universe was one big Bollywood film set. Teenage girls clutched autograph books and shrieked upon seeing their favourite Indian heart-throbs dashing from cars to red carpet, and being swept by bodyguards into parties strictly for VIPs.
On June 17, the morning after the ceremony, the Sunday Times newspaper’s Extra section, intended for local Indian readers, proclaimed that Hrithik Roshan had snubbed his fans. Roshan is certainly Bollywood’s man of the moment, having won
three prestigious awards: best upcoming talent, best actor and personality of the year.
While the format of the ceremony itself echoed that of the Oscars, the categories are unique to the Indian film scene. These include awards for male and female playback singers, best performance in a comic role and best performance in a negative role.
The night before, the ceremony began with a minute silence in honour of the victims who fell in the student uprisings of 1976.
Launching the ceremony Minister of Environment and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa welcomed the Indian film community, referring to South Africa as “the country that has served as home to both Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela”. Predictably,
throughout the evening many winners and speakers would refer to the two international leaders as figures who had inspired them in their artistic quests.
Moosa went on to highlight what has perhaps been the major message in the event for the South African film industry. Referring to Indian film-makers he said: “You have challenged the dominance of Hollywood Ã’ we ourselves ask if there are any lessons in this for Africans.”
The ceremony that followed was televised to India and shown here on e.tv, as well as on South Africa’s Indian interest channels on DStv. Musical stars like Roshan did elaborate dance numbers – Roshan descended from the roof in a shower of flames while femme fatale Urmila arrived clutching a lion cub, in a sedan chair on the shoulders of African “tribesmen”.
The South African component of the entertainment was provided by African Footprint, an extravaganza that plays regularly at Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City casino.
June 15 saw the international premier of superstar Aamir Khan’s three-and-a-half-hour-long epic Lagaan, attended by Khan himself.
The first IIFA awards were held last year at London’s Millennium Dome. Next year they will be held in Hollywood. This may be an indication of things to come. This year, already, Indian director Sanjay Gupta has unleashed his plan to shoot a major Bollywood action thriller in the United States next year with six of India’s biggest male stars.
Called Kaante, its pre-production advertising campaign contains the typically macho Hollywood slogan: “Six crooked thugs, one straight cop. Six lonely men, one crowded city.”