Mumbai: At the 24th edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA), the Tamil action comedy 'Jailer', featuring Rajinikanth, and the Telugu period action drama 'Dasara' starring Nani, both stood out by winning the 'Best Picture' award. 
 
In the acting categories, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was honored with the award for Performance in a Leading Role (Female) for her captivating portrayal in 'Ponniyin Selvan: II', while Mrunal Thakur received the same recognition for her performance in 'Hi Nanna'.

Celebrating the achievements of South Indian cinema and highlighting the excellence of the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada film industries, 'IIFA Utsavam 2024' has announced its popular category winner list.

Malayalam film "2018: Everyone is a Hero", featuring Tovino Thomas, and Kannada film "Kaatera", starring Darshan, also triumphed at the IIFA by winning the 'Best Picture' award.

In the 'Direction' category, the prestigious prize was awarded to four talented filmmakers: Mani Ratnam for "Ponniyin Selvan: II", Anil Ravipudi for "Bhagavanth Kesari", Jeo Baby for "Kaathal - The Core", and Tharun Kishore Sudhir for "Kaatera".

The 'Performance in a Leading Role (Female)' award was honored to Anaswara Rajan for her role in "Neru", and Rukmini Vasanth for her compelling performance in "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello - Side A".

In the male category, the award was given to four remarkable actors: Vikram for his powerful portrayal in "Ponniyin Selvan: II", Nani for "Dasara", Tovino Thomas for "2018: Everyone Is A Hero", and Rakshit Shetty for "Sapta Sagaradaache Ello - Side A".

The 'Music Direction' award at the IIFA was awarded to several talented composers, recognising their outstanding contributions to Indian cinema. A R Rahman was honored for his mesmerising score in “Ponniyin Selvan: II”, while Hesham Abdul Wahab received accolades for “Hi Nanna”. Sushin Shyam was recognised for his captivating work in “Romancham”, and V Harikrishna was celebrated for his music in “Kaatera”.

The 'Playback Singer (Female)' award was awarded to Shakthisree Gopalan for her enchanting rendition of the song ‘Aga Naga’ from “Ponniyin Selvan: II”.

In the 'Lyrics' category, Super Subu received recognition for his electrifying lyrics in the song ‘Hukum - Thalaivar Alappara’ from “Jailer”.

(IANS)