Screen beauties

At the awards night,a svelte Balan traded a Sabyasachi at the last moment for a green and maroon Kanjeevaram sari that her parents had gifted her on her birthday. In return,she walked away with all the possible compliments.

After bagging the award,the actress is now ready to promote her next,Ishqiya,the promos of which,alone,have already generated a strong buzz. But Balan isn’t willing to fall into “the trap of making hay while the sun shines”. “I am not a part of any race and in no desperate hurry to get anywhere. I have the luxury of choosing my roles and I intend to utilise it.”

However,the actress does admit that awards,though relative in nature,are a great means of appreciating an actor’s work. “I have to say that I was disappointed when I wasn’t even nominated for Bhool Bhulaiyya. But then I just sincerely carried on with my work and it has finally paid off.”

The Go-Getter
Mahie Gill,
Most Promising Newcomer
The defining moment backstage was when Mahie Gill came running to the lounge after she received the award and declared,“I cannot believe this just happened. I am extremely happy but I am speechless.” Not many knew of Gill before Anurag Kashyap cast her in the role of Paro in Dev.D,Kashyap’s modern interpretation of the classic Devdas.

But post the success of the film,she has become a household name. Kohl-laden eyes,soft curls caressing her cheeks and chocolate skin,Gill is certainly the looker. But dressed in a little black dress she looks a far cry from her Paro avatar in Dev.D. “But I am exactly like Paro — as impulsive and fearless as her,” she insists. In order to bag a role I attended every party in town with the hope of getting noticed. “I was horrible at auditions and photo shoots. A director spotting me at a party was my only hope. Eventually it was at one of my friend’s son’s birthday party that Anurag (Kashyap) noticed me,” she says,adding,“I can do anything for Anurag.”

But Gill does not want to be typecast. “I have a long way to go in this industry. Next up I have Paan Singh Tomar,followed by Dabangg and Surmai Shaam,” she smiles.

Although work is her priority at the moment,she will make sure she spends the evening with her family who are present with her at the awards. “My brother and my sister-in-law are seated in the audience. I will first go and hug them,” says the actor. But before she runs off,she is confident that she will come back again for more. “This is just the start.”

The Style Diva
Kareena Kapoor,
Best Actor in Popular Category
It has been a year of mixed fortunes for the gorgeous Kareena Kapoor. While Kambakkht Ishq saw a dismal opening at the box office,Kurbaan couldn’t hold people’s attention for long although she was praised for her sincere performance. But it was 3 Idiots that put her back into the reckoning in the superstar league. “I am happy and really thankful to Raju (Hirani) for giving me the biggest hit of my career,” she said,soon after she won the award for Best Actor Female in the Popular Category.

But for the Kapoor girl,it was her role in Kurbaan that was really satisfying. “I am grateful to Rensil (D’Silva) for offering me the role of Avantika,a character I completely believed in,” said the actress,who was also one of the performers on the day.

While most performers chose to stick to their vanity van,Kapoor was seen mingling with other actors backstage and also catching a glimpse of the awards on the television screen in the lounge along with her favourite designer Manish Malhotra. “I still have a while to go for my performance. I thought I would relax a bit for sometime and then do my final rehearsal.” For a seasoned performer like her,we doubt she needs any of those.

Age no bar
Arundhati Nag,
Best Actor in Supporting Role
Amidst the filmi junta,Arundhati Nag may look like an unlikely fit. But those who have watched this thespian of theatre perform grandmother to Amitabh Bachchan’s Auro in Paa will agree that no one else more deserving than her to take home the award for Best Actor in Supporting Role – Female.

A Bangalore denizen,the actress says she was brought on to the project by director R Balki who has been familiar with her work. Otherwise a Kannada film actress and a theatre veteran,Nag agreed to play the part instantly because it was a well-written role. She soon flew down to Mumbai for the project. But once here,the magnitude of having to play Bachchan’s grandmother did not escape the veteran either. “I was so nervous on the first day of the shoot that I hardly uttered a word. But then my training in theatre came in handy,” she says about overcoming the initial hesitation,adding,“Theatre teaches you to cope with all kinds of fears to enter a zone where you register little else but your work.”

Her experience has indeed paid off as she stands holding the award,allowing photographers an opportunity to click. A warm smile — many will remember it from Paa — lights up her face,making her excitement evident. “This award is special. More so because I have not been in the competitive field for more than 20 years now,” beams the 46-year-old as she looks at her award.

Media attention is not enough to hold her back and she pleads us to let her go: “Mr Bachchan is on stage and I am too excited to miss it.” Before leaving,however,Nag admits that she is looking forward to more work in Bollywood but won’t shift base. Wife of the late Shankar Nag,renowned Kannada theatre actor and director of the TV adaptation of RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days,she is currently also the Managing Trustee of Sanket Trust that runs Ranga Shankara theatre in Bangalore. “If the roles I am offered are as exciting as the one I did in Paa,then the distance between Bangalore and Mumbai isn’t much.” It certainly isn’t.