11th August 2023,Mumbai: The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) Awards, which celebrate the best cinematic masterpieces from the Indian film industry, took the stage once more. The top prizes at IFFM this year went to Dulquer Salmaan and Mrunal Thakur’s sentimental movie Sita Ramam, Rani Mukerji’s Mrs. Chatterjee Vs. Norway, and Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan.
Complete list of winners
Jury Awards
Best Documentary – To Kill A Tiger
Best Indie Film – Agra
Best Performance in Film (MALE) – Mohit Agarwal for Agra
Best Performance in a film (FEMALE) – Rani Mukerji for Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway
Best Director – Prithvi Konanur – Hadinelentu (Seventeeners)
Best Film – Sita Ramam
Best Performance (MALE) in a Series – Vijay Varma for Dahaad
Best Performance (FEMALE) in a series- Rajshri Deshpande for Trial By Fire
Best Series – Jubilee
Best Short Film – People’s Choice – Connection Kya Hain by Nilesh Naik
Best Short Film – Australia – Home by Mark Russel Bernard
Honourary Awards
Equality in Cinema Award – DarlingsPeople’s Choice Award – Pathaan
Award to Karan Johar for his 25 years as a filmmaker Rising Global Superstar of Indian Cinema – Kartik Aaryan
Diversity in Cinema Award – Mrunal Thakur
Disruptor Award – Bhumi Pednekar
Rainbow Stories Award – Onir for Pine Cone
This yearly celebration acknowledges the outstanding abilities of the Indian cinema community, which spans films and OTT series, and is hosted in the heart of Australia. The coveted awards ceremony was a glamorous evening of honouring the best in Indian cinema and the OTT industry for their great efforts.
The awards event brought together artists, filmmakers, and aficionados at Melbourne’s renowned Hamer Hall, where it was staged in all its splendour. The 2023 IFFM awards night celebrated the diversity of the films and material from the subcontinent while also paying homage to the excellence attained during the previous year and showcasing the dynamic and changing landscape of Indian entertainment.
-by Kashvi Gala