'Rang De Basanti' sweeps IIFA awards

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Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's runaway blockbuster "Rang De Basanti" pipped "Lage Raho Munnabhai" to win the Best Film award at the star-studded Idea IIFA Awards ceremony here Saturday night that showcased the extravaganza, glitz and glamour of the Indian film industry.

Apart from the over 10,000 people present at the state-of-the-art Sheffield Hallam FM Arena, the show will be watched by millions when it is telecast on Star later this month. The audience was treated to four hours of non-stop entertainment involving the biggest names in the Mumbai-based industry, also known as Bollywood.

"Rang De Basanti" won five awards, just one more than the hugely popular "Lage Raho Munnabhai", which finished a close second.

Filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani was awarded the Best Director for "Lage Raho...", the Best Actor award went to Hrithik Roshan for his powerful portrayal of a superhero in "Krrish" and Rani Mukherji was the Best Actress for her intense acting in "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna".

Soha Ali Khan bagged the Best Supporting Actress award for her subdued yet composed acting in "Rang De...", while Arshad Warsi lifted the Best Supporting Actor's trophy for his rib-tickling performance in "Lage Raho...".

Tusshar Kapoor received the award of Best Actor in a Comic Role for his antics as a dumb man in "Golmaal" and Saif Ali Khan won the Best Actor in a Negative Role for his brilliant performance in "Omkara", Bollywood's adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Othello", where his character of an ambitious and scheming man earned him rave reviews.