Dabangg reigns at Indian film awards in Toronto

The blockbuster Bollywood action film Dabangg edged out tough competition from the social drama My Name is Khan Saturday night and emerged victorious at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Toronto.

The Salman Khan film nabbed six major prizes at the glittering IIFA gala at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, including the final, coveted best picture trophy.

"It’s been a wonderful journey," said first-time producer Arbaaz Khan, brother of the movie’s lead actor, Salman.

The film started its winning streak early in the evening by capturing a trio of musical honours (music direction and both male and female playback singer). Other wins came for the screenplay by writer-director Abhinav Kashyap and for actor Sonu Sood (performance in a negative role).

"Dreams do come true," Sood said, adding that he felt his late mother was helping his career along, from above.

Actress Sonakshi Sinha was also recognized for making her debut in Dabangg.

My Name is Khan was another major winner on Saturday, earning four trophies, including for its direction, story, lyrics and male lead — Indian film icon Shah Rukh Khan, who portrays a man with Asperger syndrome.

"I’m really pleased to win this on this amazing platform, in Toronto," director Karan Johar said as he took the stage, echoing the stars’s general sentiment of appreciation to the city and the province of Ontario for hosting IIFA weekend 2011.

"My Name is Khan was much more than a film for me. It was an experience that was both emotional and therapeutic ," he continued, after noting that the movie marked his first IIFA win. "It taught me about love and power of humanity."

Saturday's colourful awards ceremony moved rapidly back and forth between Hindi and English, with co-hosts Boman Irani and Ritesh Deshmukh entertaining the crowd with comedy skits featuring filmmaker Johar and stars like Shilpa Shetty.

Hollywood Oscar-winners Hilary Swank and Cuba Gooding Jr. were on hand as presenters, while Canadian celebrities in attendance included actors Lisa Ray and Tom Green.

Co-host Deshmukh was among the night’s award-winners, picking up a trophy for his comic turn in Housefull.

"Who said awards are not fixed?" he quipped. "If you host an awards [show] for four years, they do give you an award.

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Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra and the Deols — actor brothers Bobby and Sunny as well as patriarch Dharmendra — were among those featured in the flashy, high-energy dance performances that peppered the show, which traditionally attracts more than 600 million viewers each year.

The evening included special tributes to several Indian film elders, including actor Dharmendra Deol, actor Irfan Khan , playback singer Asha Bhosle, and actress Sharmila Tagore —who urged today’s filmmakers to slow down and return to films "with heart."

"We are moving forward at such a frenetic pace …things are changing so fast. Things are becoming very technical. But there is less heart,"she told reporters backstage. "People are still looking for films that will endure."

Fans greeted all the performers, presenters and winners warmly, but it was Shah Rukh Khan who drew many of the night’s loudest screams. He even inspired one devoted fan to rush onto the stage and afix himself to the popular actor’s legs, remaining seated until security removed him.

The Bollywood A-lister admitted that a fractured knee was preventing him from fully throwing himself into a passionate finale performance. Still, he ended the night leading the sold-out arena in massive dance lesson.

Held for the first time ever in North America, the IIFA extravaganza was lured to Canada by the province of Ontario, which contributed more than $12 million to fund the festivities.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty made several high-profile appearances throughout the evening, showing up on the green carpet alongside Shah Rukh Khan, gleefully jumping into a pre-gala interview being conducted with Anupam Kher and receiving a rock-star-like welcome from the Rogers Centre crowd after being introduced by Anil Kapoor. McGuinty also presented the final award of the night: best film.

Now in its 12th year, the annual IIFA celebration travels to a new location each year to showcase Indian cinema on the world stage and in an attempt to attract new audiences. Toronto is the first North American host for the awards, which have already visited cities such as London, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Bangkok and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Saturday night’s award gala followed a series of "buzz events" hosted by four Ontario cities: Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga and Markham in the past month.

IIFA weekend continues for a final day on Sunday with film screenings, news conferences, fan sessions and a kick-off event for the TIFF Bell Lightbox retrospective of Indian movie icon Raj Kapoor, for whom a Brampton, Ont., street was renamed on Friday.