Inside IIFA Utsavam ceremony: Samantha Ruth Prabhu looks glum, Chiranjeevi gets big cheers, Aishwarya cuddles daughter
Chiranjeevi received a warm welcome at the IIFA Utsavam ceremony, where he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award.
The stars have all descended on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi for IIFA 2024. Friday's IIFA Utsavam ceremony recorded the presence of some of India's biggest actors, directors, composers and more. These included Aishwarya Rai, Chiranjeevi, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Javed Akhtar, AR Rahman and others. (Also read: IIFA Utsavam 2024 full list of winners: Aishwarya Rai wins Best Actress award, Mani Ratnam bags Best Director)
What's Samantha thinking?
IIFA shared a bunch of videos from the ceremony on their Instagram page. One video showed Samantha Ruth Prabhu sitting with Ananya Panday, Rashi Khanna, Vicky Kaushal and Siddhant Chaturvedi. Dressed in a stunning green-blue shimmery outfit, Samantha looked a little glum, looking sideways while others around her had their eyes glued to the stage.
A sweet Aish-Aaradhya moment
A video also showed Best Actress winner Aishwarya Rai cuddling with her daughter Aaradhya. The mother-daughter shared a cute moment as the camera locked in on them. Fans called it a sweet capture. “Such a beautiful bond they have,” wrote a fan. “Beautiful maa beti ki jodi. Angel protect both of you from an evil eyes,” a fan blessed them.
Honour for Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi arrived to a resounding applause and cheer. He took his seat next to Shabana Azmi and AR Rahman after waving to his fans and the paparazzi. Chiranjeevi looked handsome in his grey suit. Shabana wore a red saree. Later, Shabana and Javed Akhtar also awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award to Chiranjeevi.
Overcome with gratitude, Chiranjeevi addressed the packed audience, thanking the Telugu film industry and his fans for their unwavering support. "This award is not just a recognition of my work, but a testament to the love and encouragement I have received from my fans. I am forever indebted to them," he said, amidst applause and a standing ovation.
Hosted by Tollywood actors Rana Daggubati and Teja Sajja, the event brought together a galaxy of stars from across the Indian film industry, including Nasser, Bramhanandam, Priyadarshan, Priyamani, Jayaraman, Sarathkumar, Radhika, Varalaxmi, and Karan Johar.
The main event will be tonight.