“An awards night in Bollywood”, is a phrase that has become increasingly meaningless in an industry that celebrates surnames more than cinema and is inundated with all manner of paid-for plaudits. But September 6 was different, because it wasn’t just another award night in Bollywood, it was something entirely new.
After the resounding success of Reel movie awards, News18.com is launching its 2nd edition of content awards called iReel Awards, which aims to applaud the makers of various Indian web series. The iReel Awards took place in Mumbai on Thursday night, and the evening was illuminated by the presence of established stars and star-makers like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anurag Kashyap, Sudhir Mishra, Ronit Roy, and Vikramaditya Motwane. No less important were a galaxy of emerging stars, from writers and comics to actors and directors, all of whom are brightening India’s web content scene.
The nominations list, comprising 11 categories, was dominated by Sacred Games, which had five nods, including Best Drama and Best Writing. The Test Case, Bose: Dead/Alive, Inside Edge and Laakhon Mein Ek also boasted four nods each.
As anticipated, Sacred Games was the big winner of the evening, picking up five awards, including Best Actor (Drama) for Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Best Supporting Actor for Jitendra Joshi, Best Ensemble Cast, and Best Series (Drama). Comedian Daniel Fernandes proved the ideal host and ushered the celebrities and guests through an evening filled with laughter and celebration.
Meanwhile, Nimrat Kaur picked up the award for Best Actress (Drama) for her incredible performance in The Test Case, while Sumukhi Suresh won Best Actress (Comedy) for Pushpavalli; Sumukhi also picked up the award for Best Writing (Comedy), having scripted the Amazon original series
Why have an awards ceremony exclusively for web content you ask?
Well, When was the last time you opened your laptop (or fired up your PC, if you’re particularly quaint) to watch something – whether a YouTube video, a TV show, movie, sport, anything. Unless you have a lot of time on your hands or schedule, chances are quite a while ago. It’s just so much more convenient and time-saving to get your daily fix of entertainment, sports, news, cat videos, and whatever else have you, right from your phone.
2017 was a landmark year across the world for any number of reasons. There was a tectonic shift in global geopolitics as orange became the new black in the White House, while women around the world came together to break the silence and taboo surrounding sexual harassment and impropriety through the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements, just to mention a couple of highlights.
It was also the year that Indian-origin web-based content began streaming on screens all around, with both international and domestic streaming services betting big on the country’s vast and, till recently, untapped reserves of creativity and talent. The first ever News18 iReel Movie Awards have acknowledged this paradigm, with a distinct concentration on the best in web-based content, comprising digital shows produced by different platforms. The iReel Movie Awards are India’s first and only movie awards that recognize and laud web content and new styles of storytelling, as well as the people who tell them.
Ever since May Irwin and John Rice "nuzzled and grazed" at each other’s lips in 1896's The Kiss, the world has been enamored with cinema and all its related disciplines. Every major event of the 20th Century onwards has been captured in motion and increasing definition to the point where visual media has become the zeitgeist of modern living. Television brought the world into our living rooms while the celluloid screen introduced us to worlds beyond imagining.
Now we’re streaming, and there is great content out there, truly. Check out the iReel Awards winners list, if you don’t believe us.
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