NEW YORK: The Bollywood Movie Awards 2007 for outstanding achievements and performances in Indian cinema reeled out top Bollywood stars and glittering performances on May 26 at the Nassau Coliseum in New York.
The film extravaganza drew thousands of people from all over the US, Canada and the Caribbean, eager to see their favorite stars perform at the event. Real Estate magnate Donald Trump sent a recorded special welcome message congratulating Bollywood Group Chairman, Kamal Dandona, and his son Rajiv, for building bridges between Hollywood and Bollywood and praising their spectacular productions, previously held at his Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the popular Mona Singh of the Jassi Jaise Koi Nahi fame. She kept the audiences enthralled and engaged throughout the event with her witty jokes on Bollywood current affairs. Performers included Soha Ali Khan, Urmila Matondkar, Neha Dhupia, Arjun Rampal and Bipasha Basu, all of whom performed to a medley of their greatest hits. Viveik Oberoi's debut performance in the US stole the show.
His dramatic entry, standing on an electric trolley, rolling through the aisles of the audience, geared up his fans for his powerful presentation which lasted almost thirty minutes and included performances from his biggest hits, skits and interactions with fans. For the finale, he pulled his Omkara co-star, Bipasha Basu, from the audience onto the stage to dance to their popular number, Beedi Jalayle. Mira Nair received the Pride of India Award for her body of work, while Danny Glover, Hollywood actor best known for his roles in the Lethal Weapon franchise, received a special award for his contribution to Global Entertainment. He was clad in a pink embroidered kurta-pajama and spoke of his desire to receive an "opportunity to work in Bollywood."
Lage Raho Munnabhai director, Rajkumar Hirani, picked up the awards for Best Director and Best Film, attesting to the widespread popularity of "Gandhi-giri" outside of India. The votes for the award winners were cast by Non-Resident-South Asians. Hirani is shooting the sequel, Munnabhai Chale Amrika, and disclosed that he wrote much of the three scripts in Ohio, America. Raghav from the UK, Shahidi Mini and Warig Baig from Pakistan, Rick Ramdehal from the Caribbean also performed their hit songs.
Attendees such as Rajkumar Hirani, Kirron Kher, Sikandar Kher, Bipasha Basu, Arjun Rampal, Kangana Ranaut, Vikram Chatwal, Danny Glover, Mira Nair, Neha Dhupia, Urmila Matondkar, Ohylicia Rashad, Upen Patel, Bradley Cooper (Alias and Wedding Crasher star) and Sony Television India VP, Rajan Singh lined the front row.
The post-event dinner, hosted by Kamal Dandona, Chairman and CEO of the Bollywood Group, saw the leaders of the entertainment industry and business mingle till the wee hours of the morning at Long Island's prestigious Nanking restaurant. The event will be telecast on Sony Entertainment Television; Walmart, State Farm, Air India, Direct TV, Bharat Matrimony, Luggage Point, Rams Creations and Nationwide were among the official sponsors.
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