On Saturday evening, fans of Tamil cinema will flock to the Nehru Indoor stadium that will host the 8th Annual Vijay Awards. With several top stars, both regional and national, descending on the venue, it will be a chance for fans to star-gaze and take part in this celebration of cinema.
For the actors, it’s another story. Apart from an occasion to catch up with each other, it is primarily the time when everyone waits to see who wins which award. This year, the prestigious Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award will be given to director Shankar for taking Tamil cinema to the next level with his films.
One of the highlights of last year’s awards ceremony was the presence of Bollywood ‘baadshah’ Shah Rukh Khan, who bagged the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award. He will be present and rocking the stage this year too. A special award called the ‘Entertainer of Indian Cinema’, instituted this year, which will become a regular feature henceforth, will be presented to him.
As ace filmmaker K. Balachander pointed out recently, “The ‘golden lady’ has become a much sought-after trophy for everyone in the Tamil film industry.”
The evening is not just about awards…it’s about a lot of glamour as well. With a galaxy of leading ladies, including Shruti Haasan, Hansika Motwani, Vaani Kapoor, Lakshmi Rai among others, slated to perform sizzling numbers, it will be high on entertainment. While Shruti will dance to ‘Come On Girls’ and ‘Po Nee Po’ from her film 3 and a couple of her Telugu hits, Hansika will shake a leg to ‘Darling Dambakku’ ( Maan Karate ) and ‘Chillax’ ( Velayudham ) among others.
Newly-married TV personality Dhivyadharshini (DD) and the popular Gopinath will host the evening, which will be telecast on the channel later. For now, tinseltown’s date with glory is just a day away.
