Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar’s period drama Sardar Udham (2021), starring Vicky Kaushal in the titular role, emerged as the top winner at the IIFA Rocks 2022 ceremony with three awards in the technical categories, including cinematography and editing.
The annual ceremony that recognises the best technical talent in the Hindi film industry was held at the Etihad Arena, part of Yas Bay Waterfront on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Sardar Udham took home the honours for best cinematography for Avik Mukhopadhyay, best editing for Chandrashekhar Prajapati, and best special effects (Visuals) for NY VFXwaala, Edit FX Studios, Main Road Post Russia and Super8/ BOJP.
It was followed by Aanand L Rai's Atrangi Re (2021), starring Dhanush, Sara Ali Khan, and Akshay Kumar, with two wins -- best choreography for “Chaka Chak” (Vijay Ganguly) and background score for AR Rahman.
Other winners included Sidharth Malhotra-led Vikram Batra biopic Shershaah (2021) which bagged the best screenplay award for Sandeep Shrivastava.
Taapsee Pannu-starrer drama Thappad (2020) took the trophy for best dialogues for Anubhav Sinha and Mrunmayee Lagoo, whereas Ajay Devgn's hit period action drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) was adjudged the winner of best sound design for Lochan Kanvinde.
Kabir Khan's 83 (2021), a drama on the Indian cricket team's 1983 World Cup win, won the best sound mixing award for Ajay Kumar PB and Manik Batra.
IIFA Rocks, which also hosts a musical evening, was hosted by director Farah Khan and actor-singer Aparshakti Khurrana, who had the audience constantly in splits with their gags and punchlines.
The evening saw several Bollywood stars in attendance like Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, and Ananya Panday among others.
Being held for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the gala ceremony required a mandatory RTPCR report and face masks at the entrance of the venue.
Designer duo Falguni & Shane Peacock presented their creations at the NEXA fashion show with actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Ananya as their showstoppers.
The main awards evening will be held on Saturday with Salman, Riteish Deshmukh and Maniesh Paul as hosts.
The IIFA Awards are being held in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), and Miral.
Sidhu Moosewala, Indian Singer (Photo: @sidhu_moosewala) 
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