“We made it a point to enter the venue together, though we arrived separately. It was fun as we kept on calling each other on our way. Those who arrived early waited for the others,” said Shilpa Shukla, who played the role of Bindya in the film.

Keeping with the film’s drama, the Chak De! India actors, who treated us to some of the best cinematic moments last year, were greeted with hockey sticks as they sat at a specially appointed table.

At the awards show, the girls repeated pretty much what they did in the movie. As Chak De! India bagged one top award after another, the team, including Shukla, Vidya Malavade, Sagarika Ghatge and Tanya Abrol, held up their hockey sticks in a spontaneous display of off-screen team spirit. “We would have shouted even harder. But we thought we better show some restraint. After all it’s a formal ceremony,” laughed Shukla.

A relatively quiet Shimit Amin, who sat at the next table with scriptwriter Jaideep Sahni and the rest of the crew, looked on humorously as Chak De’s energetic Hyderabadi girl Shubi Mehta whistled non-stop and the rest applauded without restraint.

However, the winning moment was when Chak De’s ensemble cast collected their Best Supporting Actor (Female) trophy, while their onscreen coach Khan looked on proudly from the front row. “We have been together for the past one and half years. We are more than just friends now. So we were quite happy to win a joint award,” said Malavade. “I’m happy that my girls have won an award,” said Khan later. The girls also made sure that they wished their hero good luck before his adrenaline-pumping Dard-e-disco performance.