Bollywood’s ‘King Khan’ steals the show at Indian film awards | News

“I just want to tell you that it is good to be back,” he told a large crowd in the capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, home to many Indians.

“I love awards, I’m greedy for awards… I think I’m a little happy with the audience this year because I worked (again) after a long time,” he added.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Animal” won best film among six awards, including best supporting actor for Anil Kapoor, another star of the Hindi film industry.

Rani Mukerji won best actress for the custody drama Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway and Vidhu Vinod Chopra won best director for 12th Fail.

At a sprawling event that ended at 2:30 a.m., Khan’s comedy skits with fellow actor Vicky Kaushal were interspersed with hip-shaking dance routines and frequent commercial advertisements.

Shahid Kapoor rode his motorbike to the stage, and after King Khan emerged amidst fireworks and a huge crown over his head, spontaneous tributes to the star were constant.

Before releasing Jawan and Pathaan last year, Khan had not played lead roles for five years.

His return comes at a time when Mumbai-based Bollywood, for decades India’s dominant film business and a major cultural export, faces challenges, including competition from other parts of the vast, culturally diverse country.

As non-Hindi productions become more popular, Bollywood has also been overshadowed by independent films such as director Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light,” which won the coveted Grand Prix at Cannes in May.

Bollywood’s cinema-based business model has also struggled with the rise of streaming services such as Netflix, whose Indian content includes eight films and 14 series.

Elara Capital, an Indian investment and advisory firm, estimates that box office revenue fell by up to 35 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

However, 2023 was particularly strong as Bollywood bounced back post-Covid with a strong film lineup compared to a much weaker content pipeline this year.

Abu Dhabi hosted the third consecutive edition of the globetrotting event, which began in 2000 and has only been held once in India.