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29 March 2024

Dubai's Bollywood awards: Salman, Katrina, Priyanka... Top 3 [video]

Salman.

Published
By Bindu Rai

The first Arab Indo Bollywood Awards or AIBA was the stage for a mutual admiration society of the celebrity commune to put on a show for Dubai audiences.

While, Parineeti Chopra preened and Kriti Sanon gushed, it was really the night for Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Varun Dhawan and… did we say Salman Khan already?


Here are the top five moments of the night:

Salman chooses Katrina

Despite the month’s mayhem in his real life, following his legal wrangles, the Bollywood superstar had his sense of humour intact even as crowds breached barriers to breathe the same air as him.

Perhaps the highlight of the night was not Salman Khan’s on-stage performance but rather his candid confession on stage, when quizzed who he pairs best with.

The actor did not hesitate to say: “Katrina Kaif!”

While the crowd cheers drowned out the rest of his words, the actor continued to tell director, producer and Aiba host, Karan Johar: “I don’t want to leave Sonakshi Sinha or Jacqueline Fernandez out.”

However, the diplomacy came a wee bit late when Khan realised his faux pas earlier on stage when spoke about his best friend, filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala.

“We will see him direct again with ‘Kick 2’; Sajid and I will work together then,”  said Salman, adding: “However, there will be no Jacqueline. She has been ‘kick’ed out. Now we will find someone else.”

Katrina Kaif was the name shouted from the crowd.

Ranbir Kapoor, are you listening?  



Salman talks ‘Shuddhi’


While the actor was on stage to present the award to his friend Sajid Nadiadwala for Most Promising Debut Director, Salman Khan didn’t leave a chance to take a sly dig at host Karan Johar for replacing him with the much younger Varun Dhawan.

In his trademark humour, the actor said: “I told Karan I wanted to do ‘Shuddhi’. When Karan complained of budgetary constraints, rather than cost cutting, he cut me out of the film instead and took a younger hero instead.”

An embarrassed Karan was left red-faced, covering his face in the corner.

Salman continued: “Anil Sir [calling out to Anil Kapoor in the audience], it’s just you and me left now as seniors.”

As the other actor bounded up on stage to touch Salman’s feet, the latter replied: “Okay, your daughter, Sonam Kapoor, is my actress in my next film, ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’. This is quite awkward.”

We reckon, for all of us watching too.

Priyanka flies in

The ever-chatty Salman Khan pointed at the hot air balloon positioned on the Meydan Racecourse, saying: “They wanted me to enter the venue in this. Right. That’s not going to happen.”

Well, what didn’t work for him, worked quite well for Priyanka Chopra, who flew into the venue in a hot air balloon, draped across the basket in a glittering silver-gold ensemble to the tune of ‘Asslam-E-Ishqum’.

Of course, pinned to the basket in a safety harness, the actor-singer and now US television star’s on stage performance had all the trappings of a winning turn on the night.

The diva danced to a medley of her hit tracks, concluding with a track from her latest film that she has crooned, ‘Dil Dhadkne Do’.

The added plus was when she stepped off stage to call the rest of her film co-stars to join her in an ensemble dance.

Varun’s stunts


People mention Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor and Tiger Shroff as the top three dancers in Bollywood today. Those opinions may change with this new avatar of Varun Dhawan, following his training with director Remo D’Souza for the upcoming ‘ABCD 2’.

Varun’s on stage performance was a class act, as the hero arrived in style in a white Ferrari FF, leaping on stage to form some of his hit songs.

But it was his act for ‘Bezubaan’ that stole everyone’s thunder, as he leaped nearly five-feet in the air, spinning, performing somersaults and other dare devilry that even paled Salman Khan’s act in comparison.

Salman singing

While Salman Khan was being, well, Salman Khan on stage, fans got a treat when the actor got a microphone in the middle of his act and decided to sing 'Hangover'.

Well, let's just say, a career in singing like Priyanka may be far off, but fans lapped up this treat with cheers and hollering.

Karan Johar-Manish Paul

What can we say about the two hosts of the night?

Their comic timing, their devil may care attitude and their ability of poke fun at themselves proves yet again why both Karan Johar and Manish Paul have been chosen time and again to host such live events.

We particularly liked Manish’s crowd interaction when caught celebs to join in the Dubsmash fad that has swept the world.