Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 28, 2014)

"Rarely do you meet someone who inspires you in a way that changes your life," says Prerna Maynil, a commerce student of Dombivli's Model College, about her idol Deepika Padukone.

Talking about her moment of glory on the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards red carpet which saw her walk hand-in-hand with her favourite actress even as curious bystanders wondered, who's that girl?, Prerna reminisces, "I have written over 100 fan mails to Deepika-- traditional letters, emails and tweets. A few days before the Filmfare awards, Deepika's team called me to say that she'd like me to accompany her for the awards. I was thunderstruck!"

Prerna says that Deepika even styled her for the ceremony. "Right from hair and make-up to the dress that I wore, all of it was chosen by Deepika," she says, admitting that she was a nervous wreck. "But Deepika was so warm and friendly that all my apprehensions vanished. She has absolutely no airs."

What did she tell the star who she had adored only on screen and magazine covers till now? "I asked her if she'd read any of my letters. And she had. I couldn't be happier!" Prerna beams.

When contacted, Deepika told Mirror that she plans to keep in touch with Prerna. "The intention was not to create a Cinderella moment or change someone's life. This year Filmfare was special for me because I was nominated for two films - Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-leela and Chennai Express. I thought if I won I'd like to call Prerna on stage as a representation of all my fans who have given me so much love," she says, admitting that she has grown up strongly influenced by her father, badminton ace Prakash Padukone and conscious of the fact that she should conduct herself impeccably in public the way her parents did.

And who were the actresses she enjoyed watching growing up? "Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi," she says. "I met them after I became an actress." And was she in awe of them? "More than awe there was a feeling of deep respect." 

Sunayana Suresh & Prathamesh Bandekar (BOMBAY TIMES; January 28, 2014)

At the recently held 59th Idea Filmfare Awards, there was a candid moment when Rekha corrected Amitabh Bachchan. The Hindi film legend came on stage to present Tanuja the Lifetime Achievement Award.

And, in his introduction speech, he said that Tanuja was his first heroine in Pyar Ki Kahani. Sharing some trivia, he said the film was a remake of the Tamil film Kai Kodutha Deivam (1964) and it had three legends, Shivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan and Savitri. A source present at the event said that at this moment, Rekha who was seated in the front row was gesturing to Amitabh trying to hint that he had made a mistake with the facts. And that Gemini Ganesan, her father, hadn't acted in the film. 

MUMBAI MIRROR (January 25, 2014)

Dancing divas, larger-than-life heroes, emotional speeches and plenty of laughs, the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards had all the ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster. And the star-studded cast included the A-listers of B’Wood. And the gala proved that the evergreen black lady’s magic has only grown with every passing decade.

Ranbir Kapoor started the show, as a reporter covering a award ceremony in 2051 when Aamir Khan finally makes an aapearance to see SOTY debutants accepting Lifetime Achievement Awards. He was then joined by his co-host Priyanka Chopra, who electrified with a robotic Ram Chahe Leela act, a terrific mix of mythology and sci-fi.

The acts then came thick and fast. Salman Khan danced to a medley of his hits, from Dhinka Chika and Dagaabaaz Nain to Love Me Love Me. Katrina Kaif sizzled and Madhuri Dixit morphed from Devdas’s Chandramukhi to Dedh Ishqiya’s Begam Para with her Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Ghagra twirling in between.

In between were the winners who got lucky with the black lady. Sameer and Arsh Tanna kicked it off with the Best Choreographer Award for the number Lahu mooh lag gaya from Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela From dance to music.... Konkona Sen Sharma and Ayushmann Khurrana told newly married singerArijit Singh Tum Hi Ho Best Playback singer for Aashiqui 2.


Shankar Mahadevan's son Siddharth raced away with the RD Burman Award for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag's Zinda which also won Prasoon Joshi the Best Lyricist Award. 

Back to Ranbir, who told the evergreen Rekha that she was "tip top" and serenaded her with the famous Silsila lines, Main aur meri tanhai.
 
The Best Supporting Actor trophy went to Nawazuddin Siddiqui for The Lunchbox and her vampish act in Ram-Leela got Supriya Pathak the Best Supporting Actress award. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Tanuja who arrived wreathed in smiles with her daughters, Kajol and Tanisha. Calling her a warm breeze on a cold winter night Amitabh Bachchan hands the trophy to her.

At the time of going to press, as the clock struck midnight, Shahid Kapoor appeared on stage and the silsila continued.