The hit comedy film “3 Idiots” starring superstar Aamir Khan took home most of the awards at the annual Bollywood “Oscars,” including best Indian movie, in a ceremony in Sri Lanka's capital that top actors did not attend amid a boycott call over the former civil war. Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan received the best actor award for his role of a child suffering from progeria, a rare genetic disease that causes rapid aging, in “Paa.” Bachchan's actor son Abhishek played the role of the child's father. But the two Bachchans along with many other Indian stars failed to show up at the International Indian Film Awards in Colombo Saturday. They said they had prior commitments. However, some fellow actors and directors from India's southern state of Tamil Nadu had asked them to boycott the ceremony, accusing Sri Lankan forces of killing ethnic Tamil civilians in the final stages of the long-running civil war which ended last year. “3 Idiots,” a film directed by Rajkumar Hirani that revolves around the lives of three engineering students, won 16 out of 31 awards, including best director. It won eight of the 12 technical awards, including best screenplay, best cinematography and editing. Kareena Kapoor, who starred in “3 Idiots,” shared the best actress award with Vidya Balan from “Paa.” Sri Lankan beauty queen-turned-actress Jacqueline Fernandez won the award for best female debut. Those who did not show up in Colombo included big Bollywood names Aamir Khan, Shah Ruk Khan and Bachchan's actress daughter-in-law, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. The IIFA awards were created a decade ago to promote Indian films to an international audience. Earlier ceremonies were hosted by London, Yorkshire, Malaysia, Dubai, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok and Macau. The next awards will be held in Canada next year.
