IIFA 2017: Shahid, Alia win Best Actors, 'Neerja' Best Film

Image Courtesy - Instagram

New York: In a city that never sleeps, the Metlife Stadium came alive with the IIFA Awards celebration here on Saturday night, with Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt becoming proud winners of the Best Actor and Best Actress trophy for their remarkable work in "Udta Punjab".

Here's to Udta Punjab ❤️ @shahidkapoor

A post shared by Alia ✨⭐️ (@aliaabhatt) on Jul 16, 2017 at 12:47am PDT

Thank you for the memories IIFA ❤️❤️ A post shared by Alia ✨⭐️ (@aliaabhatt) on Jul 16, 2017 at 9:26am PDT

Given that it came for a film which was mired in controversy with the censor board over its theme and content, made the success sweeter for the stars -- even Diljit Dosanjh walked away with the Best Debutante - Male Actor for his performance in the film.

#iifa2017 BEST Debut Actor For #UdtaPunjab 🙏 #LoveMyFans Guys This is All Because of You 😊🙏🙏 Thx Team #Iifa 😊🙏 #Abishekchaubeybhaji #HoneyTrehanBhaji #SudipSharmaBhaji #amittrivediSir #PhantomTeam #BalajiMotionPictures 🙏

A post shared by Diljit Dosanjh (@diljitdosanjh) on Jul 15, 2017 at 11:05pm PDT

#AukaatGhatKirpaZyada 🙏 Congratulations @aliaabhatt Ji @shahidkapoor Bhaji for Winning the #BestActor & #bestactress Award @iifa #AbhishekchaubeyBhaji #UdtaPunjab 🙏 #LoveMyFans A post shared by Diljit Dosanjh (@diljitdosanjh) on Jul 16, 2017 at 1:54am PDT

@iifa 😍 Love My Fans 😊🙏 @karanjohar Sir @aliaabhatt Ji 😊👏 @colorstv

A post shared by Diljit Dosanjh (@diljitdosanjh) on Jul 16, 2017 at 10:35am PDT

All three of them were emotional about winning the award for a film which let mainstream performers take up something risky. The Best Picture honour went to Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja", based on the real life story of Neerja Bhanot, an air hostess who lost her life while trying to save others on a hijacked flight at Karachi. Actor Jim Sarbh won the Best Performance in a Negative role for his act in the movie.

💋@iifa with my sister samoneasel @smohoho. 'Them Belly Full' by Bob Marley. A post shared by Jim Sarbh (@jimsarbhforreal) on Jul 16, 2017 at 1:31am PDT

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury walked away with the Best Direction award for "Pink", a hard-hitting drama which put forth the message that when a woman says no, it is a no.

Award for Best Director - Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury for Pink. #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 12:42am PDT

Actress Taapsee Pannu, who played a pivotal role in "Pink", was named the Woman Of The Year, while music maestro A.R. Rahman was given a Special Award in recognition of his contribution to film music since 25 years at the event, which was largely attended by the NRI community here.

IIFA 2017 Women of the Year 🎉🎉🎉 . . . #taapsee #taapseepannu #iifa #iifa2017 #womenoftheyear #awardshow #nyc #newyork #newyorkcity A post shared by Taapsee Pannu FC (@taapseepannufc) on Jul 16, 2017 at 1:08pm PDT

Our Woman Of The Year is the definition of elegance and poise! #IIFA2017 @taapsee

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 7:54am PDT

Rahman sang two lines from "Maa tujhe salaam" much to the delight of the audience on the final day of the 18th edition of International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, an annual celebration of Hindi cinema at a foreign location.

Ace musician @arrahman awarded for his 25 years of musical contribution. #IIFA2017 A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:58pm PDT

In the Best Supporting Actor category, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher were honoured for 'Neerja" and "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story"; Varun Dhawan was lauded for his comic timing in "Dishoom"; and Disha Patani was encouraged with an award for her debut movie "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story".

Award for Best performance in a Supporting Role - Female - #ShabanaAzmi for Neerja. #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 12:32am PDT

Best Performance in a Supporting Role Male - @anupampkher for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. #IIFA2017 A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 11:13pm PDT

Award for Best Debutant - Female - @dishapatani for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:13pm PDT

Best Performance in a Comic Role - @varundvn for Dishoom. #IIFA2017 A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 10:59pm PDT

The music category saw Pritam winning the Best Music Direction for "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", and Amitabh Bhattacharya bagging the Best Lyrics accolade for "Channa mereya".

Award for Best Lyrics - Amitabh Bhattacharya for Channa Mereya - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 9:59pm PDT

Among the singers, Kanika Kapoor's "Da da dase" and Tulsi Kumar "Soch na sake" shared the award in the female category, while Amit Mishra won it in the men's category.

Award for Best Female Playback Singer - @kanik4kapoor for Udta Punjab. #IIFA2017 A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 9:34pm PDT

Award for Best Female Playback Singer - @tulsikumar15 for Airlift. #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 9:36pm PDT

As hosts, Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan attempted to keep the humour alive, but beyond a point, the crowd wasn't very engaged and booed them in between. The performances by Alia, Katrina Kaif, Shahid, Varun, Sushant Singh Rajput, Kriti Sanon and Salman kept the pace of the event going.

The world is his stage and he conquers it like a king! @beingsalmankhan performance is truly worth the wait always! #IIFA2017 A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 10:02am PDT

Hail the king of dance! @shahidkapoor electrifying performance left us wanting for more. #IIFA2017

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 9:10am PDT

Swooning the audience with her killer moves! @katrinakaif bedazzles on the #IIFA2017 stage. A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 8:37am PDT

@aliaabhatt magnificent Bhatt brought the house down with her grand performances!

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 7:01am PDT

A performance that made the audience go back in time! @sushantsinghrajput breathtaking moves at the #IIFA2017 stage! A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 16, 2017 at 7:20am PDT

We bet you can't have enough of this amazing performance! The life of a party @diljitdosanjh kickstarted IIFA ROCKS leaving New York wanting for more! @nexaexperience @vivo_india @eros_now

A post shared by iifa awards (@iifa) on Jul 15, 2017 at 4:40am PDT

"Raabta" actors Sushant and Kriti performed on retro tracks, while Varun paid a tribute to his father David Dhawan by grooving to his chart busters. IIFA, a celebration of Hindi film and music, takes place every year in a new country. The idea is to spread the magic and promote 'Indian cinema".