We see the tallest structure in the world, the Burj Khalifa towering over everything else from the flight. “This is the greatest film set in the world,” murmurs music director Harikrishna. Trust a cinema man to give a filmi connotation to everything, but you can’t disagree. Plane loads of stars have descended to add sheen to this dazzling diamond in the desert, Dubai. SIIMA (South Indian International Movie Awards) has the unenviable task of bringing luminaries of the four South Indian states under one roof and honouring their achievements. This is their third year in the desert city. The logistics, co-ordination, planning and execution are mind-boggling. Imagine dealing with innumerable egos! The foyer of the Grand Hyatt is a flurry of activities. The coolest guy around is Vishnu, the organiser purely because he’s delegated tasks to efficient people. Aravind Gowda, in charge of the Kannada contingent has a dazed look as he doles out room keys and a whispered welcome. Shruthi Haasan is on tenterhooks. You wonder if it’s her act on stage or the impending release of ‘Srimanthudu’ the next day. Imran gets a relieved hug from his wife who’s seldom seen him in the last couple of months. Imran has had the unique opportunity of choreographing all the acts on both the days featuring various stars, from Shruthi to Aadha Sharma. Yash is there with Radhika Pandit and her parents. The foursome stick together and enjoys a comfortable camaraderie. Are they together? Will they marry? That’s entirely their business. Right now they’re basking in the unprecedented success of ‘Mr. and Mrs. Ramachari’. A shower and a quick bite is all you have time for, before a convoy of cars takes everyone to the Convention Centre for the first day’s event.
The red carpet is lined with fans waiting to get ‘selfies’ with obliging stars. Some do so with practised smiles while others saunter past to chat with hosts of various channels. The beautifully designed and lit stage befits the occasion. The battle for front row seats by wannabes wanting to be noticed is intriguing with ushers being harassed with hissed whispers. A female star check for smudges by using the ‘selfie’ camera as a mirror! The cold vibes shared by starlets compensates for the oppressive heat outside. It’s the colleagues from the eighties like Sarita, Suhasini and Khushboo who share an enviable congeniality. The veteran comedian Ali was the host with Komal joining him later. Ali spoke in Telugu while Komal decided to flaunt his knowledge of English or the lack of it much to the embarrassment of the Kannada contingent. Awards were interspersed with dance numbers with Pranitha, Aadha and Shriya shining. The prolific producer Rama Naidu was fondly remembered. A short CV of his achievements left his grandson, the menacing Bhallala Deva of ‘Bahubali’ misty eyed. It took the indefatigable diva Usha Uthup to liven up the proceedings. She sang a medley of Kannada and Telugu numbers before breathlessly promising a brand new song. The applause was involuntary as she started ‘Dum Maro Dum’! A master entertainer who can make a stone sway cajoled the crowd to sing along and coerced stars to accompany her on-stage even making them sing. The ‘Ramachari’ cast and crew swept the major awards including best actor and actress. Yash, while praising the untiring efforts of the team promised to take Kannada cinema to the next level. There was applause when Ravishanker, basically from Andhra credited the Kannada film industry for everything he had before reciting a popular dialogue in his menacing baritone.
The final day witnessed a packed hall for the Tamil and Malayalam awards. After the usual jostling and juggling for prime seats, the inimitable host, Shiva effortlessly navigated the proceedings. He started by pulling the legs of his fraternity gently and elicited chuckles for his spontaneous one-liners. Mohanlal was the special guest for the evening. There was Dr. Roy whose Parfum Monde sponsored the show. Rima Kalligal, Tapsee, Nikki and Shruthi were the star performers. Sadly, most of the Kannada film awardees decided to stay away choosing to party or shop when they should have been in attendance out of sheer respect for the organisers. Dhanush and his pal Anirudh won a clutch of awards. “It feels strange to bag an award for lyrics,” said Dhanush. They were touched when Usha Uthup ascended the stage and praised their creation ‘Why this Kolaveri’ and again invited a host of stars to sing along. She ordered Mohanlal to keep beat and the superstar sportingly did with a huge grin. Bharathi Rajaa was honoured for his contribution to cinema while Allu Arjun was crowned ‘youth style icon’. There are awards for ‘most streamed song’. The award for the most popular star in the Gulf going to Asin is bewildering, till you read the next day’s newspaper which revealed who her fiancé is! Devi Sri Prasad waltzed onstage and gave the usual high octane performance with Shriya joining him. You’re bleary eyed just watching, but the youngsters are raring to shift to the ‘after’ party venue. It’s the middle of the night but fans are awaiting another glimpse as the stars exit. For a couple of days the stars seem to have shone brighter than the sun in Dubai.
