Khan vs Khan at Filmfare Awards

Welcome to the 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards. They are being brought into your living room tonight courtesy Sony Entertainment Television, 8 pm, Black Lady, red carpet and all.

With Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan playing masters of ceremony and chief pranksters, the lovely Vidya Balan a valiant foil to their masti. It’s a Khan vs Khan show as SRK matches wit and audacity with rockstar Saif in gags that will have you cracking up with their bawdy irreverence to Bollywood.

What didn’t the Bollywood Badshah and Chhote Nawab do! They ran a spoof on debutant award winner Ranbir Kapoor’s towel dropping act from Saawariya , holding onto their own towels, thankfully. And another one saw them, well, rip co-host Vidya Balan of the bizarre costumes she wore in Heyy Babby. Celina Jaitley, they did not spare for her makeup. In this delightful manner, the duo kept the show alive, fresh and moving, making sure even their hapless victims seated below enjoyed a chuckle at their own expense.

The event, held at the Yash Raj Studios on February 23, was as fine a tribute to the world of Hindi cinema as it was a platform for the industry’s talented top stars to show what high energy they are capable of when unleashed outside of a camera. In the audience, there were black tie and velvet gown moments of suspense before the award envelopes were opened.

On stage, there was dhoom and dhamaka provided by Kareena Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Vivek Oberoi and Neil Nitin Mukesh.And then there was drama, too, as in when Rishi Kapoor accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award from his first co-star, Dimple Kapadia, and shared the honour with wife Neetu Singh.

In the midst of their tears and laughter, Rishi was overheard calling up his mother Krishna Kapoor who could not make it to the function. Tonight’s telecast of the 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards is for Mrs Kapoor and others like her who could not be at Yash Raj to witness the spectacular show unfold live on stage.

Take your seat at 8 pm and watch the stars as they accept their awards.

Afsana Ahmed, TNN