DNA (July 7, 2015)

There was a time when the IIFA was meant to be the Indian cinema’s ambassador in the global arena. The annual event was meant to connect Indian cinema (not Bollywood, mind you!) to non-Indian audiences outside India. Amitabh Bachchan was chosen to be the brand ambassador. Fifteen years later, the spark and the will to take Indian cinema abroad is gone, and so is the Big B.

It is just a pricey jamboree. The most showy and tawdry aspects of Bollywood flaunted before fans who think Hrithik Roshan doing Tiger Shroff’s steps is a sign of continuity and renewal in showbiz. This year, the awards touched a new low in credibility with A-lister actors and actresses being squeezed into the Best Actor and Best Actress categories simply because they were there.

Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor as hosts did everything possible to win the crowds. They took swipes at box office-challenged stars and directors in the audience. The duo made fun of one another’s flops. And their own film together, Gunday. Same tired jokes. Blame the poor script, but Kapoor and Singh came across as unqualified to hold an audience’s attention for three hours. Bring back Riteish Deshmukh and Boman Irani.

And yes, even Ranveer’s rumoured relationship with a certain Ms Padukone became fodder for entertainment when Ranveer stared coyly at the alleged lady love while the title song from Karan Johar’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai played in the background. And then the actors crib about the paparazzi violating their privacy.

Everyone hammed, blowing kisses to the local Malaysian population, speaking in their language as they were instructed to do by the organisers with the possibility of a pay-cut if the stars didn’t do their bit for local tourism (oh, dear!).

The one bright spot was the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award to Subhash Ghai. That too was marred by some overacting by Ghai’s protégé Anil Kapoor, who screamed his appreciation of his mentor so hard. Jackie Shroff said his quiet thanks to Ghai and slipped away. He forgot. Awards functions are not about subtlety and underplaying. They are all about attention-grabbing gimmicks.