Utsavam 2024 winners: Nani wins Best Actor award for ‘Dasara’; Mani Ratnam named Best Director

Abu Dhabi [UAE], September 28 (ANI): The IIFA Utsavam 2024 was a grand event held in Abu Dhabi, bringing together the biggest stars from South Indian and Bollywood cinema.

The highlight of the night was the announcement of the winners.

Actor Nani won the Best Actor Award (Telugu) for his powerful performance in Dasara. His role in the film has earned him high praise, making this win well-deserved.

Celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratnam won the Best Director Award (Tamil) for Ponniyin Selvan: II. His work on the historical epic has been praised by both critics and fans for its storytelling and stunning visuals.

Megastar Chiranjeevi was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema award at IIFA Utsavam 2024.

Another major moment was when Samantha Prabhu was awarded the prestigious ‘Woman of the Year in Indian Cinema’ at the IIFA Utsavam 2024.

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The night was filled with glamour, with stars like Mani Ratnam, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Chiranjeevi, Nandamuri Balakrishna, AR Rahman, Rana Daggubati, and Venkatesh Daggubati attending. Bollywood celebrities Shahid Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Kriti Sanon, Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai, Javed Akhtar, and Shabana Azmi also graced the event.

The three-day celebration has kicked off with IIFA Utsavam, an event dedicated to the southern film industries–Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

On the second day, stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Vicky Kaushal and Karan Johar will come on stage to entertain the audience with their hosting stint at the IIFA Awards night.

Interestingly, the second day will see Rekha returning to the IIFA stage after a long time. Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor and Vicky will also be adding charm to the gala night with their performances.

IIFA 2024 will be concluded on September 29 with the exclusive, invitation-only IIFA Rocks. Artists such as Honey Singh, Shilpa Rao and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will perform live for the audience.