What You Didn’t See

During the evening,speculation on their relationship continued,with Shah Rukh Khan teasing his co-host Kapoor about it. Another couple who was in focus at the event were debutant anchors Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh. Before the ceremony began,they were seen rehearsing their lines together. The latest ‘It’ couple of B-town was spotted frequenting each other’s vans and taking digs at each other in between rehearsals.

For all the print and television space the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif split has taken,it was heartening to see the two ex-lovers meet like best friends backstage. Katrina’s vanity van was parked next to Salman’s and as soon as the star made his entry,Katrina stepped out of the van to greet him with a hug. She then went up to Salman’s sister Alvira Agnihotri,who promised Kat that she would be in the audience when she performed .

Katrina was on a roll as far as mending relationships is concerned. She was seen chatting with Priyanka — considered rivals — just before she went on stage for her performance. Despite bagging Most Popular Actress award,Katrina could not help envying Vidya Balan’s Best Actor Award. After posing with Vidya for a rare photograph,the ravishing actress told the Ishqiya girl,“You must be having many such awards in your closet.” Kat,however,was spotted giving the Most Promising Newcomer Award winner Sonakshi Sinha a cold-shoulder when the debutant actor went backstage to meet Salman after her win. The two girls barely greeted each other. Among the people to make a beeline for a meeting with Salman was Farah Khan who went to meet her “new best friend” as soon as she collected her Best Choreography Award. The two were seen having a hearty laugh.

Even as actors such as Salman,Vidya Balan,Kajol,Karan Johar,Katrina,Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi graced the front rows at the Screen Awards on Thursday evening,the backstage witnessed as much glamour and drama. Backstage was backed with practising dancers,queued-up vanity vans and actors gearing for their turn on stage. Then there were those rare moments one never gets to see on stage.

People assume that professional rivalry ends once actors retire and move on. But veteran actresses Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman proved this wrong in the presenters’ room. They greeted each other with a rather strange silence. However,Hema shed the frown when she met Rekha and was seen laughing out loud with her.

Aishwarya is rarely seen without her husband in tow. While guests thought the awards night was one such occasion,the fact remains that Junior AB kept his wife company backstage throughout the evening.

Though mostly holed up in his van by himself,Abhishek did step out for a short stroll on the grounds. Mrs Bachchan,who performed on-stage for the audience,didn’t like making her husband wait too long. She was visibly upset when her performance slot was postponed. But the frown was replaced by a big grin when Vidya Balan came up to greet her “senior”.

One would think that having faced the camera a million times and done numerous live performances,Priyanka would consider her act at the awards a cakewalk.

But the actress confessed to being nervous and stressed when she was approached for a photograph. Good friend Shah Rukh,on his way to take the stage as the host,upon spotting the actress in such condition,gave her a hug and attempted to calm her nerves. The two will be seen together in Don 2 this year.