Hindi
‘Queen’ & ‘Haider’ dominate IIFA Awards; Subhash Ghai gets special award
NEW DELHI: The Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen and Shahid Kapoor-starrer Haider, both of which had won National Awards for 2014, dominated the awards at the glittering finale of the 16th India International Film Academy (IIFA) Awards in Malaysia. Videocon
Queen bagged awards for best film, best performance by Ranaut, and best story by Vikas Bahl, Chaitally Parmar & Parvez Shaikh.Haider was a winner for best performance by Kapoor, best performance for a negative role for Kay Kay Menon, and best supporting actress Tabu.
Heropanti, which introduced Jackie Shroff’s son Tiger Shroff won two awards: one for best male debut by the junior Shroff and the best debut female for Kirti Sanon.
Another film, which won two awards was Ek Villain: for the song ‘Galliyan’ by Ankit Tiwari and for male supporting actor Riteish Deshmukh.
Umang Kumar won the best direction for Mary Kom though many had hoped lead Priyanka Chopra may win the best actress award.
Contrary to expectations, Aamir Khan’s PK won just one award: for its director Rajkumar Hirani.
The other winners were: Best debut direction: Sajid Nadiadwsla for Kick; Best music direction: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for 2 States; Best playback singer- female: Kanika Kapoor for Baby Doll (Ragini MMS2); Best performance in a comic role: Varun Dhavan forMain Tera Hero; and Best regional film: Lai Bhaari.
Eminent film-maker Subhash Ghai was awarded for his Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema. “So many emotions I am going through, so many memories. That is why you fall, then rise, then rise again. Thank you, IIFA,” he said.
Deepika Padukone won an award for IIFA Woman of the Year and Ranveer Singh recited a poem for her.
The S Cross IIFA Awards was held at the Stadium Putra in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For the first time ever, Bollywood’s hilarious duo- the talented actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor played host to the awards ceremony. The twosome won over audiences and industry members alike, leaving those present in splits with their witty quips, perfect comic timing and laudable on-stage camaraderie.
Their opening performance was a medley of iconic Jodi songs – Mein Khiladi Tu Anaari, Dola Re Dola, Mere Do Anmol Ratan where the two donned outlandish costumes keeping the audience in tears of laughter. They were joined on stage by Rakhi Sawant, who took the entertainment quotient to another level.
Bollywood’s ace dancers Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor stunned audiences with their performances and dance moves. More highlights of the night were Sonakshi Sinha, who who stole the show with her singing act, Parineeti Chopra’s mesmerising performance on Pareshaan, Baby Doll, Lovely and Drama Queen and Shraddha Kapoor’s act on Khalnayak Hu Mein, Choli Ke Piche Kya Hai and Om Shanti Om – a tribute to Subhash Ghai. Anushka Sharma gave a spell-binding performance on songs from her film Bombay Velvet.
For the first time, S Cross IIFA Awards will be broadcast globally on Colors.
In a music industry that often rewards speed, spectacle, and instant recall, Navjot Ahuja’s journey feels refreshingly different. His story is not built on noise. It is built on patience, discipline, emotional honesty, and a quiet commitment to becoming better with every passing year. After 14 years of struggle, learning, performing, and writing, Navjot stands today as an artist whose success has not changed his centre. If anything, it has only made his purpose clearer.
For Navjot, music has never been about chasing fame alone. It has always been about expression. It is about writing more truthfully, singing more skillfully, understanding himself more deeply, and becoming a kinder human being in the process. That rare clarity is what gives his journey its beauty.
Where It All Began: A Writer Before a Singer
Indian singer and songwriter Navjot Ahuja’s musical journey began in the most familiar of places: school assemblies. But even then, what was growing inside him was not only the desire to sing. It was the need to write.
Long before he saw himself as a performer, he had already discovered the emotional release that writing offered him. For Navjot, words became the first true channel for feeling. Songwriting came before singing because writing was the only way he could let emotions flow through him fully. That inner pull shaped his artistic identity early on.
Like many young musicians, he sharpened his craft by creating renditions of popular songs.
Those experiments became his training ground. But the turning point came in 2012, when he wrote his first original song. That moment did not just mark the beginning of songwriting. It marked the beginning of self-definition.
A Calling He Did Not Chase, But Accepted
What makes the latest Indian singer-songwriter Navjot’s story especially compelling is the way he describes his relationship with music. He does not frame it as a career he aggressively pursued. In his own understanding, music was not something he chose. It was something that chose him.
There was a time when he imagined a very different future for himself. He wanted to become a successful engineer, like many young people shaped by ambition and conventional expectations. But life had a different script waiting for him. During his college years, around 2021, music entered his life professionally and began taking a firmer shape.
That shift was not driven by image-building or industry ambition. It came from acceptance. Navjot embraced the fact that music had claimed him in a way no other path could. That sense of surrender continues to define the artist he is today.
An Artist Guided by Instinct, Not Influence
Unlike many singers who speak openly about idols, icons, and musical role models, Navjot’s creative world is built differently. He does not believe his music comes from imitation or inherited influence. He listens inward.
He has never considered himself shaped by ideals in the traditional sense. In fact, he admits that he does not particularly enjoy listening to songs, especially his own. His decisions as a songwriter and singer come from instinct. He writes what feels right. He trusts what his inner voice tells him. He positions his music according to what he honestly believes in, not what trends demand.
That creative independence gives his work a distinct emotional sincerity. His songs do not feel calculated. They feel alive.
The Long Years of Invisible Struggle
Every artist carries a chapter of struggle, and Navjot’s was long, demanding, and deeply formative. One of the biggest challenges he faced was building continuity as the best new indian singer songwriter in an era where musical collaboration is increasingly fluid.
For emerging singers, especially those trying to build with a band, consistency can be difficult. Instrumentalists today have more opportunities than ever to freelance and perform with multiple artists. While that growth is positive and well deserved, it can make things harder for singers who are still trying to establish a steady team and sound around their work.
For Navjot, one of the most difficult phases came during 2021 and 2022, when he was doing club shows almost every day. It was a period of relentless performance, but not always personal fulfillment. He was largely singing covers because clubs were not open to original songs that audiences did not yet know.
For a new Indian singer and songwriter, that can be a painful compromise. To perform constantly and still not have the freedom to share your own voice requires not just resilience, but restraint.
“Khat” and the Grace of Staying Unchanged
After 14 years of effort, Navjot’s new love song Khat became a defining milestone. Professionally, he acknowledges that the song changed how society viewed him as a musician. It strengthened his place in the public eye and altered his standing in meaningful ways.
Yet personally, he remains unchanged.
That is perhaps the most striking part of his story. Navjot says his routine is still the same. His calm is still the same. His writing process is still the same. He does not want success or failure to interfere with the purity of his art. For him, emotional detachment from public outcomes is essential because the moment an artist becomes too attached to validation, the writing begins to shift.
His joy comes not from numbers, but from the attempt. If he has tried to improve his skill today, if he has written his heart out more honestly than before, then he is at peace.
Growth, Not Glory, Remains the Real Goal
Even now, Navjot is not consumed by labels such as singles artist, performer, or digital success story. His focus remains deeply personal. He wants to sing better. He wants to play instruments better. He wants to understand himself more. And he wants to become a kinder person.
That is what makes Navjot Ahuja’s journey so moving. It is not simply the story of a musician finding recognition. It is the story of an artist who continues to grow inward, even as the world begins to look outward at him. In an age obsessed with applause, Navjot reminds us that the most meaningful success often begins in silence, honesty, and the courage to remain true to oneself.
