The show must go on

SALMAN KHAN grooved to his biggest hits like Dhinka chika from Ready in his signature style

Soon after the last kite had been flown on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14,the film industry descended on the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai for a special celebration. It was,after all,the night of the 18th Annual Colors Screen Awards,Bollywoods most coveted honour. The cold,crisp night was the perfect setting for the crowning of new stars who all walked away with well-deserved honours and the accompanying performances by stars of the marquee.

The roster was an impressive one. Salman Khan,Vidya Balan,Priyanka Chopra,Katrina Kaif,Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma held the crowd in thrall with their electrifying performances while Shah Rukh Khan,Madhuri Dixit Nene and Chitrangda Singh hosted different segments of the awards and kept everyone entertained with their jocular exchange. Like King Khan who took Vidya Balan to task for her claims that she did not need a Khan or a Kapoor to make her film successful.

Salman performed to a medley of his songs like Dhinka chika from Ready and his already popular dance moves were a scene-stealer. His high-octane performance served as a fitting platform to silence rumour mongers who spread controversies about him being unhappy at not being nominated at the awards.

Priyanka Chopra made a grand appearance at the venue literally. A trailer truck,converted into a train,came bearing Priyanka and a posse of dancers grooving to Chhaiya chhaiya. The trailer travelled the length of the grounds,giving guests from all sections a view to her performance,before winding its way to the main stage. Priyanka then got off the trailer and into the staging area,went up to Ekta Kapoor and got her grooving to the music as well. It was one of the best Kodak moments at the awards.

Vidya Balan danced to Ooh la la from The Dirty Picture among other hits. The actress was so charged that she also danced with Rekha on the popular number upon winning the Best Actor (Female) Award for the movie

Katrina Kaif made the most of the Chikni chameli craze by dancing to the popular tune and later vowed audiences by doing a traditional dance in a Malayali saree to Sheila ki jawan

Taking ahead the energy quotient,Anushka Sharma also danced to a medley of her hit songs from Ladies vs Ricky Bahl and Band Baaja Baaraat before ending the act with Jennifer Lopezs hit song Papi.

The actress displayed tremendous energy and her fusion of beatbox meets Hip-Hop styles of dancing created the right vibe for the next big act Shah Rukh Khan.

Indeed,with so many ladies on stage,how could Shah Rukh Khan,the most romantic hero,be far behind? This is the year of women,so I am here because wherever there are women,I am always there, he said,winking. Beginning with Madhuri Dixit Nene,the duo recreated their Dil To Pagal Hai chemistry and the clever repartees between them was a treat to watch. Vidya Balan then joined the actor on stage and Shah Rukh told her with a straight face,I honestly believe that the main thrust of The Dirty Picture would have looked better in 3D.

And in a role-reversal of sorts in the segment,Katrina Kaif performed Teri ore from Singh Is Kinng in a bid to romance Shah Rukh,who responded with a kiss to her cheek.

Shah Rukh also called out his Jungli Billi,co-star Priyanka Chopra when they won the Best Jodi Award for Don 2 and exchanged dialogues from the movie instead of the usual thank you speeches.

A special segment was also held this year to honour Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor,two legends who passed away last year. Shah Rukh,along with Madhuri,Vidya and Priyanka joined the legendary actors sons Suneil Anand and Aditya Raj Kapoor to talk about their legacies.

Priyanka put it most effectively when she said quite simply,Chhota mooh badi baat but I am sure wherever the two are in heaven,they are having a party of their own.

Suneil and Aditya thanked audiences across the world for showering love on their respective fathers.

The Lifetime Achievement Award this year went to legendary singer Asha Bhosle. She received a standing ovation from the crowd and in her acceptance speech mentioned how the award would motivate her to achieve greater heights. The assembled guests were then held in thrall as she sang Pyaar karnewale from Shaan. Her voice did not seem to have aged at all and the thunderous applause that came her way was one of the most memorable moments of the show.

Goldie Behl later took the stage and unveiled the first look of his upcoming movie London Paris New York with the lead stars Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari. Ali,who will make his debut as a composer with the film,sang the title track as well.

With so much happening in the space of just a few hours,cinema lovers had a night to cherish while the winners basked in the afterglow of success. Until next year of course,when the Awards will return once again to honour the best in cinema from 2012.

SHAH RUKH KHAN reminisced about the time he worked with Madhuri Dixit,chided Vidya Balan for not working with him and pecked Katrina Kaif for wooing him

A special tribute in honour of the legendary actors Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand with their sons Aditya Raj Kapoor and Suneil Anand was a major highlight. Shah Rukh Khan,along with Madhuri Dixit Nene,Vidya Balan,Priyanka Chopra and Sajid Khan reminisced about the life and times of both the actors. The sons were grateful to fans for their support and the Colors Screen Awards for the tribute. Priyanka Chopra had the last word when she said,I am sure wherever they are in heaven,they are having a party of their own.

Asha Bhosle was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Colors Screen Awards this year. Upon receiving the honour from veteran producer Yash Chopra,she quipped that she would soon sing for Yash Raj Films. The singer was in good spirits and said she would aspire for even greater heights after collecting the Lifetime Achievement Award. She left audiences spellbound with her rendition of Pyaar karnewale from Shaan. The assembled guests gave the legendary singer a standing ovation.

SHAHID KAPOOR opened the show riding a bike and spoofed Singham by playing Chingum,a cop who was on the lookout for his Chikni chameli

The crowd got its dirty moment when Vidya Balan stepped on to the stage to shake a leg to her famous number Ooh la la. And when it was her turn to collect the Best Actor (Female) Award,Balan also did a jig with Rekha after collecting her trophy from the diva. The audience cheered wildly as Rekha matched Vidya step for step to the song. The camaraderie between the two was also on display with Vidya expressing her happiness at receiving the award from Rekha,an actress I look up to in all respects.

It wasnt just the ladies,even the guys created an impact on the show. Shahid Kapoor,in fact,opened the show by spoofing one of 2011s biggest hits Singham as Chingum. Dressed as a cop astride a bike,he rounded up dummy characters of the other big hits Bodyguard and RA.One. Chingum later left to enquire about the whereabouts of his newfound love,Chikni Chameli Katrina Kaif.

That was not all. Shahid gave a high-energy performance dancing to his hit number from Mausam. As he grooved to Saj dhaj ke,the audience could be seen tapping their feet. The actor made a typically Punjabi entry by coming atop a truck that carried him to the stage from the VIP section.

Shahid later appeared with Chitrangda Singh for a segment where the two played Suryakant and Silk respectively from The Dirty Picture. The entertaining act had the duo mouthing double entendre lines in private which they later cleared for the audiences benefit,eliciting much laughter from the audience.

If The Dirty Picture was the common reference,could Chikni chameli be far behind? Katrina Kaif grooved to her latest item number Chikni chameli from Agneepath and ended her performance by changing into a demure Malayali saree for Sheila ki jawani. It must have been hard for Shahid Chingum Kapoor to contain his happiness at finally finding his Chameli and for the crowd,it was hard to shake off the thumping beats and now-famous steps as the actress performed with aplomb.

The actress displayed tremendous energy and her fusion of beatbox meets hip-hop styles of dancing created the right vibe for the next big act – Shah Rukh Khan.

With so many ladies on stage how could Shah Rukh Khan,the most romantic hero be far behind. This is the year of women so I am here because wherever there are women,I am always there, he said winking. Beginning with Madhuri Dixit Nene,the duo recreated their Dil Toh Pagal Hai chemistry and the clever repartees between them was a treat to watch. Vidya Balan then joined the actor on stage and Shah Rukh told her with a straight face,I honestly believe that the main thrust of The Dirty Picture would have looked better in 3D.

And in a role reversal of sorts in the segment,Katrina Kaif performed Teri ore from Singh is Kinng in a bid to romance Shah Rukh who responded with a kiss to her cheek.

Shah Rukh also called out his Jungli Billi co-star Priyanka Chopra when they won the Jodi Of The Year Award for Don 2 and exchanged dialogues from the movie instead of the usual thank you speeches.

A special segment was also held this year to honour Dev Anand and Shammi Kapoor,two legends who passed away last year. Shah Rukh,along with Madhuri,Vidya and Priyanka joined Dev Anands son Suneil Anand and Shammi Kapoors son Aditya Raj Kapoor to talk about both the actors legacies. Priyanka put it most effectively when she said quite simply,Chhota mooh badi baat but I am sure wherever in heaven the two are,they are having a party of their own. Suneil and Aditya thanked audiences across the world for showering love on their respective fathers.

The Lifetime Achievement Award this year went to legendary singer Asha Bhosle. She received a standing ovation from the crowd and in her acceptance speech mentioned how the award would motivate her to achiever greater glories. The assembled guests were then held in thrall as she sang Pyaar karnewale from Shaan. Her voice seemed not to have aged even a bit,someone in the audience noted and the applause that came her way post her singing was one of the most memorable moments of the show.

Goldie Behl later took the stage and unveiled the first look of his upcoming movie London Paris New York with the lead stars Ali Zafar and Aditi Rao Hydari. Ali,who will make his debut as a composer with the film,sang the title track as well.

With so much happening in the space of just a few hours,cinema lovers had a night to cherish while the winners basked in the afterglow of success. Until next year of course,when the Awards will return once again to honour the best of cinema from the current year.

SHAHID KAPOOR was so excited about Bosco-Caesar winning the Best Choreography Award for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaras Senorita that he insisted on shaking a leg with Bosco on the song While other performers danced to Hindi songs,Anushka Sharma was the only one who grooved to Jennifer Lopezs latest party hit Papi during her act

Shahid Kapoor turned into Suryakant from The Dirty Picture and had Chitrangda Singh as Silk for a segment. The duo,seemingly lost in each other,cooed sweet nothings into each others ears and used double entendre lines. Soon after,Suryakant saw the crowd and then told the audience what the two were saying to each other in politically-correct terms. The entire exchange of words resulted in a lot of laughter among the guests assembled at the venue.