Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn
(Bollywood & Indian TV Analyst)

The dazzling demigods of the Hindi film industry descended at the MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai and graced the Max Stardust Awards ceremony with their esteemed presence. The program was not restricted to just the handing over and receiving of awards but provided entertainment galore, including song and dance performances by leading stars like Kareena Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda and Neha Dhupia.
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The Max Stardust Awards stands out in the clutter of countless film awards as it showcases and recognises the relatively fresh talent with the promise to emerge as the superstars of tomorrow. The awards ceremony, this year, transformed the banal terra firma of the Bandra Kurla Complex into a spectacle of glitz and razzmatazz. Talented film director Kunal Kohli and the gorgeous diva Neha Dhupia were the perfect hosts for this special evening and kept the audience glued to their seats.

The glorious award ceremony, witnessed dazzling Lara Dutta perform on chartbusters such as ‘Move your body’ from Johnny Gaddar, ‘Deewangi’ from OSO among others while beautiful Kareena Kapoor enthralled the audience with ‘Nagada’ and ‘Its rocking’ form Jab we met and Kya Love Story Hai. The rockstar Saif Ali Khan performed on medley of hits from OSO, Salaam-e-Ishq, Hey Baby and Race – his upcoming movie. Govinda entertained the audience with his numbers from the movie Partner and Bhagam Bhaag. Neha Dhupia apart from her co-hosting the award ceremony moved danced on popular songs like ‘Namak Ishq Ka’, ‘Saiya re’, ‘Mayya Mayya’, ‘Kiya Kiya’ and ‘Naughty Naughty’.

Among the people who attended the event were the who’s who of the tinsel town. Aadesh Shrivastav, Bappi Lahri, Alka Yagnik, Shreya Saran, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Bipasha Basu, Dharmendra, Rishi Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Suresh Oberoi, Irfan Khan, Gul Panag, Celina Jaitley, Dino Moreo, Madhur Bhandarkar, Raveena Tandon, and a host of others. The event had extravagant sets coupled with lasers, special effects, lighting and acoustics to create a magnificent audio and visual impact.

The MAX Stardust Awards are a salute to the young and dynamic Gen Next oozing with creative energy and passion in equal measure. MAX will telecast the MAX Stardust Awards on 16 February, 2008 at 8.00 pm.

THE WINNERS OF MAX STARDUST AWARDS

SUPERSTAR OF TOMMOROW —MALE
Ranbir Kapoor (Saawariya)

SUPERSTAR OF TOMMOROW— FEMALE
Sonam Kapoor (Saawariya)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE – MALE
Shreyas Talpade (Om Shanti Om)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE – FEMALE
Kangana Ranaut (Life… In a Metro)

THE NEW MENACE
Shilpa Shukla (Chak De India)

HOTTEST FILM — PRODUCERS

Gandhi My Father (Anil Kapoor)

HOTTEST YOUNG FILM MAKER
Shimit Amin (Chak De India)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE BY LYRICIST
Sandeep Nath – Saawariya (‘Yoon Shabnami Pehle Nahi Thi Chandni’)

NEW MUSICAL SENSATION – FEMALE
Anoushka Manchanda – Cash (Aye Chori)

NEW MUSICAL SENSATION – MALE
Krishna & Salim Merchant – Chak De India (Maula Mere)

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE BY A MUSIC DIRECTOR
Monty Sharma (Saawariya)

READER’S CHOICE AWARDS
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Tisca Chopra (‘Taare Zameen Par’)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Irrfaan Khan (‘Life… In A Metro’ / The Namesake)

BEST ACTOR IN A NEGATIVE ROLE
Arjun Rampal (‘Om Shanti Om’)

STAR OF THE YEAR - MALE
Akshay Kumar (‘Namastey London’ / ‘Heyy Babyy’)

ACTOR PAR EXCELLANCE
Viveik Oberoi (Shootout at Lokhandwala)

BEST ACTOR – MALE
Shahid Kapoor- Jab We Met

BEST ACTOR – FEMALE
Kareena Kapoor – Jab We Met

THE DREAM DIRECTOR AWARD
Farah Khan (‘Om Shanti Om’)

BEST FILM AWARD
‘Jab We Met’

LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Dharmendra