For Anant Singh, creative head of the Golden Kela Awards, Bollywood is the gift that keeps on giving. If 2012 saw the likes of “Joker”, “Son of Sardaar” and “Bol Bachchan”, 2013 continued to pile on the misery with “Himmatwala”, “Besharam” and “Krrish 3”, among several others.
Modelled on Hollywood’s Golden Raspberry Awards, the Golden Kela awards seek to celebrate the worst of Bollywood each year. In this regard, they are like the Royal Turds and the Ghanta Awards. Unlike them, however, the Golden Kelas, explains Anant, are not so much a stand-up comedy show as an awards function.
For the sixth edition, held recently in Delhi, the awards sought to recognise and reward the meritorious in various categories. Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha won the Golden Kela for worst actor for the second year running, for their performances in “Himmatwala” and “R...Rajkumar” respectively. The honour for the worst actor in a supporting role went to Aditya Roy Kapoor for “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”, while the Kela for worst director went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for “Goliyon Ki Raas Leela Ram-Leela”. Along with the awards, the presenters – Anant and Zakir Khan – also dispensed some unsolicited advice, asking, for instance, Kapoor to play sober characters, and Bhansali to focus on his script as much as his lights.
Additionally, awards were also given out in ‘special’ categories such as ‘baawra ho gaya hai ke’ award (Aamir Khan for “Dhoom 3”), RGV Ki Aag Award for the most pointless remake/sequel award (“Himmatwala”, which was given a run for its money by Zanjeer and others), Rajshri award for most regressive film of the year (“Raanjhanaa”, which was given a run for its money by “Grand Masti” and others), Dara Singh award for the worst accent (Deepika Padukone in “Chennai Express”, who won unopposed) and their lifetime achievement award, the ‘bas kar bahut ho gaya’ award (Sunny Deol, who won unopposed) among others.
In a departure from the rest of the show, the Kelas also awarded the best films from last year with the Anti-Kela award – “Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns” for being the only real sequel made last year; “Go Goa Gone” for being India's first ever zom-com, “Shahid” for being the “best biopic made in a long time” and “The Lunchbox” for “showing the world that Indian films are not all song and dance”.
Anant, an admirer of films by Ramsay Brothers, believes the bad movies can also be funny. It is what makes it possible for him to endure the films all year round. Work on the awards start at the end of the year. “We start thinking of the nominees around December,” he says. After the shortlists are announced, the winners are decided through votes on its website.
Although lyricist Anvita Dutt was at hand last year to receive her award for the worst lyrics, the Golden Kelas had no such luck this time. Vivek Oberoi, who won the ‘This is Too Much Award’ for comparing his Kaal with Mogambo, Gabbar Singh and Joker, was made to deliver a message which wasn’t recorded with the Kelas in mind, while Abhishek Sharma, the director of “Tere Bin Laden” accepted two awards on behalf of the winners. Sonakshi Sinha later tweeted a photo of herself with a real banana, to which Anant said a real banana is temporary, while a golden kela is permanent.
Bringing the awards to an end, Anant said the work on next year’s edition has already begun. “Jai Ho” has released, after all.
