"A heartfelt thank you to all my well-wishers from India and all around the world"
Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai Bachchan received the first Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the inaugural Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Awards ceremony held in the USA on September 8, 2018.
The event which took place at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. recognised the former Miss World for a “distinction in her craft and for expanding the role of women within the entertainment industry,” as stated by WIFT India.
The WIFT India Awards ceremony has been established to celebrate the best of female talent in Bollywood and Hollywood.
Aishwarya attended the first prestigious ceremony accompanied by her sweet daughter Aaradhya and her mother Brinda Rai.
Aishwarya wore a gorgeous black-and-white fishtail gown with intrinsic gold embellishments to accept the award. To accessorise the outfit, she wore an extensive cuff bracelet and chunky diamond rings.
Aaradhya wore a cute pink ruffled gown and Aishwarya’s mother wore an elegant lilac saree to the ceremony.
The Fanney Khan and Last Legion star then went on Instagram to share photos celebrating her win with fans.
On a post featuring a photo with her daughter Aaradhya receiving the accolade, she wrote:
“You my Aaradhya complete me. Divine Blissful Eternal love.”
The next featured them both sitting on the floor enjoying time together with the trophy.
Utterly fond of her daughter, Aishwarya told IANS:
“Of course, after Aaradhya my priorities have changed completely. She comes first, everything else is secondary.”
To thank her fans for their ongoing support, Aishwarya wrote in a post saying:
“A heartfelt thank you to all my well-wishers from India and all around the world, for being my Inspiration and strength. God bless and all my love too.”
Hubby, Abhishek Bachchan was ecstatic with his wife winning the award and tweeted:
“And the Mrs. is awarded the Meryl Street award for excellence at WIFT. The little one gives her a congratulatory hug, and I look on (to the photo) a very proud husband!”
It’s revealed that the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence is going to be exclusive to the annual WIFT India Awards. So, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the first-ever recipient of the honour.
WIFT India founding president Petrina D’Rozario said:
“Whether it is her extraordinary body of work or her charitable endeavors, Ms. Streep is an inspiration for all.”
Adding the difference they want to make with the awards:
“Our aim here is to encourage others to think outside the norm of gender-based hiring practices and give females of all nationalities an equal chance to vie in fields dominated by men.”
Interestingly, Meryl Streep herself was awarded the WIF Crystal award in 1998 at the Women in Film L.A. awards.
The WIFT India Awards ceremony was running alongside the South Asian Film Festival (DCSAFF), running in Washington between September 7-9, 2018.
In addition to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Zoya Akhtar and Janhvi Kapoor were also given recognition at the ceremony.
Apart from the actor, director Zoya Akhtar and “Dhadak” star Janhvi Kapoor, among others, were also honoured at the event.
Zoya received the Wyler Award for Excellence in Direction, named after Oscar-winning director William Wyler.
Janhvi was awarded the WIFT Emerald Award, recognising an artiste’s debut performance. The award was given for her appearance in Dhadak released in 2018.
One of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s next films will Gulab Jamun, where she will share the screen with Abhishek Bachchan after many years.
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