The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is currently underway. The 13th edition of the gala, being held in the Victorian capital both in person and virtually, will close on August 20. One of the biggest highlights of the event, the awards night took place at the iconic Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Sunday. This year the eventful night was hosted by television star Rithvik Dhanjani. For the unversed, the IFFM is held every year in Australia and celebrates the Indian entertainment industry by showcasing a wide range of shows, films and series from the country.
Sports drama ’83’ and thriller movie ‘Jalsa’ were the top winners at the IFFM Awards 2022. Kabir Khan was named the best director for 83, which also won the award for the best film. It was a triple feat for ’83’ as the event saw Ranveer Singh winning the best actor award for playing the role of Indian skipper Kapil Dev in the movie which chronicled India men’s cricket team’s journey to winning the 1983 World Cup trophy.
Cricket great Kapil Dev, who was the guest of honour at the ongoing movie gala, was presented with the Lifestyle Achievement Award.
The award for best actress went to Shefali Shah for ‘Jalsa’ and the Suresh Triveni-directed film was honoured with the ‘Equality in Cinema’ prize. ‘Jalsa’, which was released on Prime Video, explored themes of social disparities and moral corruption.
While Shoojit Sircar (Sardar Udham) and Aparna Sen (The Rapist) were adjudged joint winners in the best director category, Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan won the Leadership in Cinema Award.
Actor Vaani Kapoor won the ‘Disruptor in Cinema’ award for ‘Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui’, in which she played the role of a trans woman.
Anmol Sidhu’s feature debut ‘Jaggi’, a film set in Punjab’s farmlands delving into sexual abuse, won the prize for best indie film.
Pakistani film ‘Joyland’, debutant Saim Sadiq’s Jury Prize winner at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, won the best film from subcontinent award at the IFFM.
Payal Kapadia’s acclaimed title ‘A Night of Knowing Nothing’ emerged as the winner in the best documentary segment.
In the series section, Nikkhil Advani’s ‘Mumbai Diaries 26/11’ was named the best series along with lead star Mohit Raina winning the title of best actor in a series.
Popular actress Sakshi Tanwar, known for TV soaps ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’, ‘Bade Achhe Lagte Hain’ and film ‘Dangal’, won the award in the best actress in a series for Netflix’s ‘Mai’.
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