The highlight of the admirable rapport was Talpade tying Sajid’s laces, only to realise that the latter had forgotten to put on a stocking. “Helping each other is all a part of the game and I enjoyed anchoring with Sajid,” he said. Amidst the pandemonium of dance troupe and hydraulics, Amrita Arora and Dia Mirza, the first performers of the night, were relieved by the success of their impromptu gig. “My mother worked in the marketing division of the Indian Express and I’ve always felt close to the Screen Awards,” said a nostalgic Arora, elated to swap her hosting duties with a performance instead.

Mirza’s family doctor anxiously awaited the return of her star in her vanity van and the dainty actress performed despite an illness. And after a couple of injection shots, returned—her peach dress offering up a lovely contrast with the all whites of Abbas-Mastan—to present an award. Among the winners, Tabu apologised profusely to Simi Garewal for being tongue-tied on stage. “As long as you felt something, it doesn’t matter what you didn’t say,” said the maternal Garewal.

A beaming Rishi Kapoor, who picked up the Best Debutante, Male, Award on behalf of son, Ranbir, was as vocal as Tabu was silent. “My son should experiment, fail and then succeed. I’m not looking out for him at all.” On the other side of the stage, Katrina Kaif, in a Cinderella outfit made for a surreal sight stretching her neck in front of an ornate full-length mirror, her cherubic sister looking on, making mental notes for the future, perhaps?

A visibly nervous Ritiesh Deshmukh paraded back and forth on stage several times— checking and rechecking if his costumes and props were in place. “Stage performances are one-take only,” he said, the anxiety flushed after his successful act. “In Heyy Baby, there were three of us dancing to this song, but I’m proud to be the only one here,” he said. Upcoming choreographer, Swaroop, worked hard at Urmila Matondkar’s patriotic number for Lifetime Award Winner Manoj Kumar’s songs. “It’s an honour for me to have choreographed for Kumarji’s songs and I am grateful for the opportunity,” he said.