Bollywood actors Sonam Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui bagged the best actress and best actor awards at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2016.

While Sonam, 31, was awarded for her performance in Neerja Bhanot’s biopic, Neerja, Nawazuddin won the award for his role of psycho serial killer in Raman Raghav 2.0.

Expressing his delight over the award, Nawazuddin said “I am thankful, for considering me for this award.”

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Other nominees in best male performance were Ranveer Singh for Bajirao Mastaani, Shah Rukh Khan for Fan and Manoj Bajpai for Aligarh.

Sonam dedicated her award to the Bhanot family.“I am very lucky to be up here…This is a real story about a women who is only 23 years old. I want to thank Bhanot family specially the mother who passed away… Its a film about compassion more than anything else,” she said.

Shakun Batra’s directorial venture Kapoor and Sons won the best film award and Leena Yadav’s Parched lead won the best indie film category. She also bagged the best director award.

Pakistani actor Fawad Khan was given a special diversity award by the state special minister Gavin Jennings.

Rishi Kapoor was honoured with the lifetime achievement award for excellence in cinema.

Expressing his happiness to receive the award, Rishi reminisced when his father Raj Kapoor thought of casting him as his younger version in Mera Naam Joker.

“I remember when my father asked my mom…I went to my room and took out a paper and started practicing my autographs,” he recalled and added that he came from a family which gave 88 years to the Indian cinema out of 104 years.”We are very grateful to people like you who have extended our legacy,” he added..

“It is very difficult.I was just not Raj Kapoor’s son I have given lot of blood, sweat and tears to it,” he said.

The star studded gala event that was held last night at the Melbourne Recital Centerer  saw special performances and veteran actress Simi Grewal, Neetu Singh, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Richa Chadha, Indian high commissioner Navdeep Suri, Consul General Manika Jain were also present at the occasion.

The theme for this edition is ‘Women Empowerment’. “Angry India Goddesses,” will bring the curtains down for the festival on August 21.

(Feature image source: Twitter)