There was no dearth of stars at the 22nd Zee Cine Awards 2024, from Anil Kapoor to Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor to Ananya Panday, Kartik Aaryan to Kiara Advani, the Deol brothers to Vidya Balan… yet it was a Shah Rukh Khan show all the way at the NSCI Dome in Worli.
King Khan made three appearances on stage in the course of the evening — as an actor, as a dancer and lastly, as an individual who is a devoted family man. And so different were the attractions of each that it is impossible to choose any segment as the most impactful.
Vidya Balan
When Shah Rukh first walked on stage, the hosts requested for some dialogues. That made him seek a female volunteer to address the romantic lines to. But before there could be a scramble to reach the stage, a suspiciously tall and sturdy figure in a red-and-white silk sari had swayed out from the wings. If the costume was reminiscent of Paro, the drunk Devdas nearly bolted out of his intoxication on removing the ghoonghat. Underneath was Sunil Grover, with whom SRK has had many a comic run-in on Kapil Sharma’s shows, in Grover’s cross-gendered avatar as Gutthi.
Instead of exhibiting any yearning or concern for “Dev”, this Paro wanted 20ml from his liquor bottle!
What followed on stage was a side-splitting half an hour of live action, as Shah Rukh switched from persona to persona of his hit films — Mohabbatein, Chak De! India, Don, Om Shanti Om… — with the chameleon-like Grover following him in appropriate opposite numbers, upping the ridiculous quotient and delivering dollops of hilarity.
As Shah Rukh complained about his appearance, Grover’s Paro explained: “Main toh OTP le ke khadi thi, mujhe laga delivery boy aa gaya hai.” When Devdas wondered Paro “babuji ki jootey kyun pehne hai”, Grover’s Paro responded with candour: “Hum toh babuji hi hai.”
As the violin-playing music teacher Raj Aryan from Mohabbatein delivered his lines on anushasan to the strict headmaster ‘Narayan Shankar sir’, played in the film by Amitabh Bachchan, Grover came across as a raucous Mithun Chakraborty, asking him to “goli maro anushasan” and do disco, introducing a dance break in the skit.
Meanwhile, a train compartment pulled in, changing the scene into the sets of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.
As Raj climbed in, a baritone on the sound system urged: “Ja, Simran, ja, barbaad kar de iss ki zindagi”, in a nod to Amrish Puri’s “jee le apni zindagi” sign-off line. The faux Simran scampered after the moving train. But instead of leaning out with an outstretched arm, as in the iconic moment from the film, Raj stood at the door and awkwardly shouted: “Sorry yaar, main tumhara ticket kharidna bhul gaya,” putting paid to a happily-ever-after conclusion, and seguing into the next segment, through a parting Don-style retort: “Waise bhi, mujhe junglee billiyan aajkal zyada pasand hai.”
Grover was there to puncture the gravity of coach Kabir Khan’s vocal tonic to his team too. As the Chak De! India character urged his girls “sattar minute hai tumhare paas… kaise khelna hai aaj main tumhe nahin bataunga”, Grover, in a short skirt, butted in: “Aap nahin bolenge kaise khelna hai, toh kya padosh team ka coach batayega?”
As Shantipriya in Om Shanti Om, Grover found little satisfaction, thanks to trolls. “Main jeetna bhi glamourous photo daloon na, sab ma behen kar ke gaali deke jaate hai,” he complained to Shah Rukh’s Om Kapoor.
Grover would later also host a segment of the show in Shah Rukh’s bandaged Jawan avatar.
Cut back to SRK. He indeed took the audience by surprise as one had presumed the comic skit was all that there would be from him for the night. He appeared in a far corner of the venue in a hanging contraption, drawing level with spectators seated in the upper level, sending them into raptures. Then followed a sizzling performance from the 58-year-old to his latest hits, the energy of which belied his age and showcased a zinda dil. What was 2023 at the box office if not for Pathaan and Jawan!
He would later confess, in course of his post-midnight third appearance, how he was unsure of performing live. “I told Punit (Goenka, Zee Entertainment Enterprises MD and CEO) mujh se iss umar mein nahin ho payega but he insisted.” Accepting the Best Actor award for Jawan made him look back to the phase after back-to-back flops, when questions were being raised about his saleability at the box office. “My children told me: ‘Papa, for three years you are sitting at home. Achchha lagta hai, aap ghar mein bahut entertaining ho. But you are made for entertainment. You have to get back and entertain us on the big screen’,” he said, dedicating his award to each of his three children and wife Gauri, “jinhone mujhe ghar se dhakke maar maar ke bahar bhej diya, ke jao, bahar ja ke acting karo”.
He sent out a special message for his youngest son Abram, “who was just about born when I last got the Zee Cine Award for Chennai Express”. “He has never seen me get an award on television. Please let me know when you telecast this as I am eager to show this to him,” said the doting father turning to Goenka on stage.
He ended with a promise to his family that as long as he had strength, courage and capability, even if not at home, he would continue to entertain them outside the house. “Jab tak tumhara baap zinda hai, entertainment zinda hai,” he announced, signing off in fully filmi fashion, delighting the paying public gathered in a corner of the stands nearest to the stage.
Carpet & stage
Kiara Advani, Khurrana brothers Ayushmann and Aparshakti were in charge of the ceremony
The first to arrive on the purple carpet, Gaurav Chopra was so early that he was asked to come back after 45 minutes. As hosts, the Khurrana brothers — Ayushmann and Aparshakti — were also early comers. “Zee Cine Awards is a big show and of course, we have had to rehearse. But there are some connotations in the script that are ours.
Shahid Kapoor makes an entry
There will be some give and take, which will also be impromptu. This is the first award show I am doing after Stree 2,” Aparshakti told t2 before walking in.
Anil Kapoor delivers an acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Animal
Looking pretty in a shimmering blue dress, Neeti Mohan, who was nominated for Chal tere ishq mein in Gadar 2, had high praise for the music of two of the films that released last year. “The Animal album has shattered records. I loved Jawan as well,” she said. Anu Malik was effusive about Ranbir Kapoor’s acting in Animal. “He has simply excelled. I liked the songs of Animal also, done by different composers and offering a lot of variety,” he told t2.
Rani Mukerji with the Best Actress trophy for Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway
Ranbir was also on the lips of Anil Kapoor, who was named the Best Supporting Actor for Animal. “Your husband put in an incredible performance,” he told a beaming Alia Bhatt who handed him the trophy, adding that he hoped to work with her soon. He dedicated the award to his father (Surinder Kapoor) and Rishi Kapoor (Ranbir’s father).
In terms of trophies, the biggest winner was Jawan. Other than Shah Rukh getting Best Actor, making it to the stage were Anirudh Ravichander (Best Composer, Best Background Score), Kumaar (Best Lyricist for Chaleya) and Atlee Kumar (Best Story, Best Director). Atlee’s third and Shah Rukh’s second acceptance of the night was for Best Film.
The other team to make an impact was the Deol family. Sunny and Bobby were there with Sunny’s sons Karan and Rajveer, who won the Best Debutant Award for Dono.
Bobby, shining in the afterglow of Animal, presented a Jamal kudu shake-up, during which he got off stage and pulled in his elder brother Sunny, making him replicate his own drink-balancing act. Gadar 2 was the Viewers’ Choice Best Film and Sunny took home the Viewers’ Choice Best Actor award. Main nikla gaddi leke from the film was named the Song of the Year. “In 2001, we did not get Best Film at ZCA for Gadar. That wish is now fulfilled. People were sceptical about Gadar 2, calling it old school,” laughed director Anil Sharma, promising to come back with Gadar 3 soon.
Dimple Kapadia, who won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Pathaan, was conspicuous by her absence.
