The first South Africa India Film and Television Awards (SAIFTA), organised by Tourism KwaZulu-Natal and Celebrity Locker, were held earlier this month at Durban’s ICC Arena. t2 brings you a ringside view of the starry event.

KJo’s wit

Karan Johar and Letoya Mangezi

Karan Johar was in a mood to tease. On the red carpet, he was stopped in his tracks by Letoya Mangezi, a local singer-actress who was doing celeb interviews. Dressed in an Alpa & Reena sari and a low-cut blouse, she confidently started: “So you are a big producer-director of Bollywood...,” a piece of information that had just been passed on to her by her Indian co-ordinator. Karan stopped her mid-sentence and replied: “Who told you that? I am a talk show host. My show is called Koffee with Karan. You haven’t seen it?” The lady looked confused and turned to her co-ordinator who was standing next to the cameraman. But to her dismay the co-ordinator was nodding in agreement to what Karan was saying.

His Naughtiness was not done yet. “In fact, I am also an actor. My film Bombay Velvet has just released,” continued KJo. At this, Letoya’s eyeballs threatened to jump out of their sockets as she turned to her co-ordinator and blurted out, “Oh my God, this had never happened to me before.” Only for Karan to smoothly add: “But all that you said before is also true.” Poor Letoya.

PS: Serves Karan right for trying to mislead Miss Letoya. The next morning one of Durban’s biggest dailies identified him as Karan Wahi (who was also attending the award) and printed the TV actor’s full resume alongside KJo’s picture!

Please-all Priyanka

Give it up for Priyanka Chopra’s sheer energy and willpower to generate goodwill. She landed in Durban in the morning after a cross-continental flight and within hours was ready to hit the red carpet and the stage where she was back in Miss World mode, talking Gandhi and world peace. Being the highest-billed star at SAIFTA, she was the last to arrive at the ICC Arena, minutes before the unveiling. Yet she was poise personified, taking time to teach Bollywood moves to the South African interviewers and even walking over to the barrier by which a teenager was shouting a request to pose with her for a selfie. Piggy Chops shares her birthday with Nelson Mandela (July 18) and happily kept mentioning that off and on stage, drawing loud applause from the Durban crowd.

Bags and barbells

While the stars monopolised the business class on the flight to and from Durban, the cattle class squeezed in the hands –– and handbags –– that created their looks. A passenger was requested to remove her luggage from an overhead bin because a suitcase, carrying Dia Mirza’s name tag, needed more space. “What’s her bag doing here when she’s not here?” asked the bewildered lady. “It’s her make-up box,” came the reply. The helping hands, indispensible but invisible, traded tales of occupational hazards. “Ranvir (Singh) ka luggage 15kg overweight tha. I had to pay Rs 25,000,” exclaimed a woman. “Uska hamesha overweight rehta hai. Na janey kya leta hai saath,” replied another long-suffering soul. “Barbell,” came the reply from another, drawing titters from the rest. “I’m serious,” the know-all quickly added. Everyone shut up, weighed down by the thought.

Shy son

While on Ranveer, the Lootera was loving the attention that he got for his moustache, a part of his Ramleela look. “His moustache is so Indian! I want a photo with him,” declared a Zulu reporter. Word was out that he was practising relentlessly for his tribute to yesteryear stars. “If you practise well, even if something goes wrong on stage, muscle memory can take over and carry you through,” he explained. The lanky star’s mother had accompanied him to Durban but would not be coming for the show. “It doesn’t matter even if lakhs are watching but I get very conscious if my family is present when I perform live. So I tell them not to come,” he told t2.

Small is big

Why did TV actor Rithvik Dhanjani sound so excited that he often appeared to be forgetting there was a mic in front? It was because members of the sizeable Indian community knew who he was! Believe it or not, Pavitra Rishta is the most popular soap among the desi janta in far-away Durban. Which is why he got to perform as well as host the show when Karan took a break!

At a glance

Priyanka Chopra posed for selfies and announced time and again that she shares her b’day (July 18) with Nelson Mandela.
Traveling cattle class: Dia Mirza’s make-up box and Ranveer Singh’s overweight bags.
Ranveer’s “so Indian” moustache was a hit.
Karan Johar met his match in TV actor Karan Wahi when a Durban newspaper decided to publish Wahi’s CV with Karan’s picture!
Pavitra Rishta is a hit among Durban’s desi crowd.

SIDHARTH MALHOTRA IS THE PICK OF THE PYTS

Yes, there was John Abraham. Yes, there was Ranveer Singh. But there was no mistaking who the eye candy was for the PYTs of Durban. It was Sidharth Malhotra all the way. A t2 chat with the Student of the Year hunk who won the Best Debut (Male) award at the ceremony.

Were you aware of your popularity in South Africa?

Not at all. It is exciting to know that people outside the country know your work. I have been rehearsing hard to please them. Dancing doesn’t come naturally to me.

There are quite a few youngsters who have recently debuted. Do you perceive them as competition?

I know. When Karan (Johar) said he would launch us we were like “wow”. Student of the Year released after two years. By then, there were five more boys. None of us are battling till now. The stars are doing all the battling. We haven’t gone there yet (grins).

Have you been in love?

Umm...what you have in school and college is puppy love. Recently dating has happened, but not love as yet. Let’s say while we’re dating we are waiting for love.

You are facing the camera again for your next film Hasee Toh Phasee with Parineeti Chopra. How does it feel?

Hasee Toh Phasee is a quirky romantic comedy, though not as glamorous as Student of the Year. In many ways, it’s back to being a debutant. In fact, the pressure is more this time because in Student of the Year there were three of us and hit or flop, the praise or the blame would have been divided. This is my first solo hero film and people have some expectations of me. I am also doing Mohit Suri’s The Villain. It’s a dark love story.

Have you kept in touch with your SOTY co-stars?

We may be going different ways now but we stay in the loop and keep fingers crossed for each other’s projects. Varun (Dhawan) and I go back a long way. We were both assistant directors at Dharma Productions for My Name is Khan. Even now, when we sit at Karan Sir’s office, it all seems so unreal!