Anupam Kher and Alia Bhatt bag top honours at Zee Cine Awards 2023!

The year 2022 was a mixed bag for Hindi cinema. With theatres just opening up after being shut down for over a year due to the Covid pandemic, there was a lot of learning and unlearning that happened. Many surprise hits emerged at the box office while many expected biggies failed to perform. But however it was, 2022 was indeed a special year, and it was all celebrated at the Zee Cine Awards 2023 on February 26.

It was a star-studded night that saw the who’s who of Bollywood in attendance. In the end, it was Anupam Kher and Alia Bhatt who bagged the top honours of the night. While Kher was adjudged Best Actor Male for The Kashmir Files, Alia won Best Actor Female for her performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi.

The Kashmir Files emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema last year. The film’s success became a case study. Its story told the plight of the Kashmiri Hindus during their exodus in the 90s. The film found a deep connection with audiences and Kher received widespread acclaim for his role. He even received many awards for it and the Zee Cine Awards trophy adds to the list.

As for Alia, the actress delivered one of her career-best performances in Gangubai Kathiawadi. In a year of uncertainty, the actress delivered 4 successes. Gangubai Kathiawadi was one of the first films to come in theatres after the reopening of cinemas. At the time of its release, most theatres were working at 50% occupancy, still the film emerged a commercial success. It also quashed the myth around female-led films being audience pullers.

Both Kher and Alia delivered some amazing performances in 2022. Surely this honour is just the beginning of their winning streak during the award season. With performances that they gave, they are surely the ones to beat.

Keerti Kadam.