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Zee Cine Awards: Hrithik Best Actor, Urmila Best Actress

DUBAI - Thousands of film fans went into a frenzy early Friday as the biggest stars of the prolific Bollywood movie industry were honored at an annual Indian industry award ceremony, held for the first time in Dubai. The first science-fiction film in Hindi, “Koi Mil Gaya,” bagged several top awards, including best picture, best actor for Hrithik Roshan, and best director for his father, Rakesh Roshan.

Urmila Matondkar picked up the best actress award for her role as a possessed housewife in the thriller “Bhoot,” or “Ghost.”

The Zee Cine Awards 2004, held outside India for the first time, included live performances by reigning Bollywood stars, including dimple-checked Indian heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan, who was named superstar of the year. His selection brought tears to many of his female fans.

Preity Zinta picked up the female superstar of the year award.

More than 200 Indian film stars were among nearly 7,000 guests attending the ceremony.

Former Miss Universe Lara Dutta kept fans dancing in their seats, while actor Saif Ali Khan, who kept the crowd cheering with Indian dance numbers, picked up the best supporting actor award in “Kal Ho Na Ho,” or “If There’s No Tomorrow.”

Arshad Warsi picked up the award for the best performance in a comic role for the film “Munnabhai MBBS.”

Aging matinee idol Amitabh Bachchan was among the actors, producers, singers and directors invited to the 7th annual awards show, which also touched on patching up relations between South Asian rivals India and Pakistan.

Pakistani comedian Omar Sharif made Bachchan burst into laughter with jokes directed at the Indian superstar.

Sharif called for “ending the differences” while his Indian counterpart Shekar Suman echoed, “Let’s forget what happened in the past.”

The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947. Two of the wars have been over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between them but claimed in entirety by both.

Bollywood, based in Bombay, is the world’s most prolific movie industry, churning out an average 900 feature films a year.

Noted film director Karan Johar and actress Juhi Chawla hosted the awards ceremony inDubai, where a majority of expatriates are from the subcontinent. Several thousand fans stood outside as all tickets were sold out.

Among the highlights at the five-hour show, which began Thursday night and ended early Friday, was the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to producer, Yash Johar.

Thirty-two winners in various categories were selected through a broad voting process that included ballots cast by Zee Network’s 250 million viewers worldwide.

More than 400 million viewers around the world can watch the awards ceremony via satellite later Thursday on the Zee Network - an independent media network that broadcasts entertainment and 24-hour news programs across India, South Asia, Britain and the Middle East - and other partner channels.

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