While the show was on

Give and take
Newbie Varun Dhawan seemed to be on top of his game. Not only did the actor play host for a segment of the show, but he also wowed the audience with his performance on stage. Backstage, the actor obliged every screaming fan (especially teenage girls who seemed to have successfully dodged security only to catch a glimpse of the star). He greeted Shahid Kapoor warmly when they met after their individual performances and even shouted out to music composer Pritam just as the latter walked off the stage carrying his Best Music trophy for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

Music punch
Every one who asked Abhay Deol about the black eye he sported for the awards got the same patient answer. Deol was protesting against a record label for not releasing the music of his upcoming film One By Two. While the music company mentioned by the actor was T-Series, he was spotted talking to the head of the label, Bhushan Kumar, when the former came backstage. If they were trying to sort out their differences, then the talk was inconclusive.

All the king’s men
From the minute the show commenced, there was a flurry of activities around Shah Rukh Khan’s van. His security men and assistants played host to the small audience that had gathered outside the van. One of them was Subhash Jain who wore a metallic badge on his grey uniform that read “Team SRK”. Only five chosen ones from his team wear this badge on their blazers, Jain told us proudly. Much to the fans’ disappointment, Khan was out of his van and on the stage within seconds.

Supporting acts
After Richa Chadda won the award for Best Actor in a Comic Role in Fukrey and came backstage, the award for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role was announced. Chadda, also a contender for the award for her role in Goliyon Ki Raas Leela — Ram-Leela, lost to Swara Bhaskar who won it for Raanjhanaa. When Bhaskar bumped into her in the Presenters’ room, Chadda told her she was fabulous in Raanjhanaa and totally deserved the trophy. After a quick photo together, they walked out, the statuettes in hand.

Race to the finish line
When the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag won the Best Film award, the entire cast was called on stage. Japtej Singh, who had won the award for Best Child Artiste earlier in the evening for the same film, was the only one from the cast who didn’t go up on stage with them. As director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was giving the award acceptance speech, the crowd sitting around Singh identified the ‘young Milkha’ and lined up to click pictures with him. Once he obliged them, he was ushered on to the stage.

Nineties flashback
In a special moment, the reigning ladies of Bollywood in the ’90s — Sonali Bendre, Raveena Tandon and Juhi Chawla were spotted in the Presentors’ room at the same time waiting to be called on the stage. Contemporaries and competitors at one time, it was refreshing to see them sit together and revive the magic of the Nineties.