Rohit Shetty gets emotional giving a Gurudakshina to Veeru Devgan

Four days since its shoot, Lux Zee Cine Awards 2016 co-powered by FEVICOL and Dabur RED Paste is still the talk of the town. Attended by a galaxy of Indian cinema’s biggest stars, the awards ceremony was a night to remember for all the right reasons. Not only was it a true celebration of Hindi and regional cinema but also brought transparency in the selection of winners through its Jury Awards.  The event took place in the heart of Mumbai at the ecofriendly state of the art venue, Reliance Jio Gardens at Bandra Kurla Complex. Before Lights, Camera, Action was announced; adding to the grandeur was the black and gold themed Red Carpet and a stunning stage that symbolized the magnificence, colour and diversity of Indian cinema. The performance that stood out from the clutter of routine celeb led performances at award functions and had the audiences glued to their seats was the action-packed tribute to the stuntmen of the industry, choreographed by Bollywood’s most popular filmmaker Rohit Shetty. It’s a first on any awards show that stuntmen have received their due with a live daredevil-stunt performance at Zee Cine Awards 2016. The dashing and daring Vidyut Jamwal went all out risking his life along with a number of stuntmen to deliver a high octane action sequence that was breathtaking and truly praise worthy.  Zee Cine Awards 2016 will air on Zee Cinema, Zee Cinema HD, Zee Anmol and Zee Tamizh on Saturday, 5th March at 7 PM.

Not many people are aware of the fact that Rohit Shetty’s father was the popular actor and fight director, Madhu B Shetty, also popularly known as ‘Fighter Shetty. At the ZCA 2016, Rohit became was very emotional while announcing the Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema Award to the veteran action director Veeru Devgn and called it his humble Gurudakshina.  Veeru’s direction of remarkable action scenes over the years has inspired a generation of directors including Rohit Shetty. The latter chose the Zee Cine Award stage to offer his Gurudakshina to the father of his close friend, Ajay Devgn. Veeru Devgn is one of Hindi Cinema’s most renowned stunt and action choreographer who has been working in the film industry since the 1970s choreographing the fight and action scenes for over 80 films. 

Over the last two months, Rohit Shetty has ensured that rigorous practice and training sessions were carried out with Vidyut Jamwal and other stuntmen prior to the act performed live at Zee Cine Awards 2016. The sheer magnitude of the live act required a lot of precision and preparation since the sequence in the act involved toppling and burning of cars, hi-speed chase on motorbikes, sommersault over cars and break into car windshields that could have put Vidyut and the stuntmen in danger. The act was very risky but Rohit Shetty and team took several safety precautions and executed India’s first ever fast paced LIVE ACTION performance on the stage of Zee Cine Awards 2016. 

Senior Devgan was accompanied by his daughter-in-law, actress Kajol who on his behalf and said, “I have made both my kids realize about the magnanimity of the honour bestowed on my father-in-law. It takes a lot of hard work and talent to achieve this. Not everyone is as blessed.” It was also a special moment when an audio visual was played with a recorded message from Ajay Devgn, currently shooting for ‘Shivaay’ in Bulgaria. Proud of his father’s achievements, Ajay spoke from his heart and said, “My father is not only an action director in movies but also a fighter in real life… Whatever I am today it is because of him. I exist because of him!”

Vidyut Jamwal, who performed the action act directed by Rohit Shetty said, “This is the first time in India that LIVE action was taking place on stage and I got an opportunity to perform it. It’s a great honor that Rohit Shetty shortlisted me to perform this spectacular act live in front of the audiences. Though I was very nervous while performing the act as the cars were burning and bikes were jumping In front of me but Rohit Shetty designed the act so meticulously that our safety was of utmost priority. It took us several days to direct, rehearse before we performed on stage.”

There were many other power packed performances including Ranveer Singh, Anil Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. Lux Zee Cine Awards 2016, in every way, stayed true to the glamour and the razzmatazz it commands over the years.  And, what remained the core of the evening was the awards. The esteemed jury panel including Rakesh Roshan, Anurag Basu, Prasoon Joshi, Ravi Chandran, Resul Pookutty, Shantanu Moitra and Leena Yadav brought to the fore some of the most deserving talents of Hindi cinema. Adhering to their belief of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is my family) Zee Cine Awards this year also got together the best of regional cinema to credit their invaluable contributions.