Stars sparkle at Zee Cine Awards in Mumbai

The popular Bollywood awards draw the best in the business.

Actress Yami Gautam, wearing an off-shoulder Cavalli gown at the Zee Cine Awards. IANS

The ZEE Cine Awards 2013 ceremony goes down as the first major Bollywood event of the year. While the awards were held at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai on January 6, they screen on television tonight.

The event

The leading comic duo from the hit film Bluffmaster - Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh - serve as hosts, and there are featured performances by Shah Rukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Karisma Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, among others.

The highlight of the evening is a special award category honouring eight filmmakers whose 2012 films were commercial successes, if not always critical ones, by grossing 100 crore rupees (US$18 million) each. Priyanaka Chopra presented the awards to Anurag Basu (Barfi!), Arbaaz Khan (Dabangg 2), Kabir Khan (Ek Tha Tiger), Rohit Shetty (Bol Bachchan), Prabhu Deva (Rowdy Rathore), Ashwni Dhir (Son of Sardaar), Sajid Khan (Housefull 2) and Karan Malhotra (Agneepath).

Among those in the audience for the awards? Producer Boney Kapoor accompanied wife Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor walked in with son Ranbir Kapoor. Sonali Bendre, Karisma Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon, Boman Irani and Kabir Khan were also in attendance.

The Red Carpet

Deepika Padukone won the red carpet style stakes hands down, in a gorgeous gown by Naeem Khan in crème and gold that accentuated her athletic figure without being revealing. Padukone showed off oxblood red lips and a red manicure to match. Sporting the same lip colour was the immaculately clad Esha Gupta. Dressed in ivory Dior, Gupta did give Padukone a run for her money. While Padukone's gown flowed organically, Gupta's sported a sharply structured, tailored bodice. She teamed her super-sharp look with a matching hairdo: upswept and with lots of height.

Illeana D'Cruz also wore Dior, though her sheer, double-layered gown was an entirely different affair from Gupta's. She coupled her boat-necked, sleeveless dress with tangerine lips. Another actress who went for an international couture label was Yami Gautam, in an off-shoulder Cavalli gown.

Singer-anchor-actress Sophie Choudhary looked stunning in a strapless Shane and Falguni gown in peacock hues, with very subtle make-up. Shazahn Padamee wore a fitted, backless, studded gown which gave her an edgy look. Among the beauties who chose to dress traditionally were Sridevi, Huma Qureshi, Poonam Dhillon, Sonali Bendre, Vidya Balan, Gracy Singh and Mini Mathur, each resplendent in saris.

Apart from Deepika Padukone and Esha Gupta, one of the best-dressed of the evening was Malika Arora-Khan who went for a short, white dress and pulled it off in the way that only she can. The mantle of worst-dressed was donned by Payal Rohatgi, Genelia Dsouza and Mughda Godse. Rohatgi looked uncomfortable in an ill-fitting ethnic outfit. Dsouza, whose husband Riteish Deshmukh was co-hosting the awards show, wore an extremely frumpy black gown and sported a very badly styled fringe. Godse, who has a killer figure, chose strangely to hide it in a shapeless long dress.

Watch the ZEE Cine Awards 2013 ceremony tonight on Zee TV, 6.30pm UAE time