The big winner at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, which took place on Saturday night in Toronto, was Dabangg. Among its haul of 10 prizes, the action film picked up Best Film as well as three out of the four big music awards. The other big winners on the night were My Name Is Khan and Baad Baaja Baarat.
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Film reviews, festivals and all things cinema related
Film
Dabangg is the directorial debut of Abhinav Kashyap and stars Salman Khan as a corrupt police officer who has family problems, girl problems and work problems. It's a traditional Bollywood masala film, packed with clichés, yet it does them expertly with a great lead performance from Khan and an excellent soundtrack. It's Bollywood kitsch at its best and works superbly as entertainment.
The film was a box-office sensation when it was released in September last year. It set opening day and first-weekend box-office records, overtaking last year's big award-winner, 3 Idiots. It is the second highest-grossing Indian film yet.
Going into the main awards show, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai led the way with 12 nominations, while Dabangg followed closely behind with 11. But it was Dabangg that converted nominations into wins. A sequel is scheduled for release next year.
It was the first time that the awards, which take place in a different city each year, have been held in North America and tickets to the main Toronto ceremony held at the Rogers Centre on Saturday night were exchanging hands for C$800 (Dh2,973) at the 22,000-seat venue. The show had sold out in 10 minutes.
Hollywood stars who joined the slew of Bollywood glitterati walking down the green carpet included Cuba Gooding Jr and Hilary Swank, wearing a red ball gown, who alongside Anil Kapoor presented the award for Best Performance in a Leading Male Role.
If there was one big shock on the night it was that Salman Khan did not win the Best Actor prize for his charismatic turn in Dabangg. The main acting prize went to the Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan for his performance in My Name Is Khan. Always the consummate professional, Khan, who himself presented some awards, played to the crowd by declaring, "I am a Torontonian" as he picked up his award. It was the first time in a number of years that the biggest name in Indian cinema had attended the ceremony and the star also did a song and dance number during the show despite a knee injury.
In My Name Is Khan Shah Rukh Khan plays a man suffering from Asperger's syndrome whose life in America is turned upside down by the hostile atmosphere following the events of September 11, 2001.
The Best Actress award went to Anushka Sharma, who appeared in another big winner of the night, Band Baaja Baaraat. In the love story Sharma plays a wedding planner looking for her own Mr Right. On Friday night, Sharma had hosted the IIFA Rocks concert with Karan Johar, who picked up the Best Director award for My Name Is Khan at the official ceremony.
The other acting awards saw Prachi Desai win Best Supporting Actress for her turn in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Arjun Rampal won Best Supporting Actor for Raajneeti, Ritesh Deshmukh won the Best Actor in a Comic Role for Housefull, Baad Baajar Baarat's Ranvir Singh won the award for a male debut, while debut female went to Dabaang's Sonakshi Sinha; in yet another award for Dabaang, Sonu Sood won for Best Performance in a Negative Role, a category that is unique to the IIFAs.
The awards were given out in two shows during the three-day celebration of Indian cinema in Canada. Most of the technical music awards were presented during the IIFA Rocks show and saw Dabaang and Baad Baaja Baarat share three prizes. IIFA Rocks, showcasing fashion and song, was memorable for a tribute by Jermaine Jackson to his late brother Michael, which saw the former member of the Jackson 5 sing Can You Feel It, Scream, and Wanna be Startin' Something. Joining Jackson was Sonu Nigam, who performed Thank You For the Legacy, a song dedicated to Michael Jackson.
The 12th annual IIFAs started 90 minutes late after the marathon green-carpet (the organisers eschewed the more traditional red) stroll by Bollywood stars. The final award for best film was handed out at 2am. Special lifetime achievement awards went to the actor Dharmendra and the singer Asha Bhosle. The actress Sharmilla Tagore was handed an Outstanding Achievement award in recognition of 40 years’ service to the industry. And, partly explaining why the awards ceremony took so long, in yet another gong Irfhan Khan was awarded a prize for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
