MUMBAI – Screen legend Amitabh Bachchan has won the best actor title in Bollywood's top awards-FILMFARE, but he boycotted the ceremony because of a row with a tabloid newspaper.
The 66-year-old star won for his portrayal of a child with the rapid-ageing condition progeria in "Paa" (Father), which also featured his real-life son, Abhishek.
Both Bachchans stayed away from Saturday night's ceremony, the 55th edition of the Filmfare awards, which are the Oscars of India's Hindi-language film industry.
Amitabh Bachchan boycotted the awards due to a story in the Mumbai Mirror newspaper , a sister title of Filmfare magazine, reporting that Abhishek's wife, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, could not have children.
The family has demanded a public apology. It was not immediately clear whether Amitabh Bachchan would accept the award.
"Paa" won two awards on the night, with Vidya Balan scooping best actress.
But it was Aamir Khan's "3 Idiots" that virtually swept the board, picking up best film, best director, best supporting actor, best story, best screenplay and best dialogue.The coming-of-age film – about three students struggling to cope with life at a leading business school – is now Bollywood's biggest-grossing movie of all time.
Other notable Filmfare winners included A.R. Rahman. The composer dubbed the "Mozart of Madras", who won two Oscars for his work on "Slumdog Millionaire", won for best music on the film "Delhi 6".
Ranbir Kapoor, touted as Bollywood's next male superstar, won the critics' award for best actor for his films "Wake Up Sid", "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" (An Amazing Story Of Strange Love)" and "Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year."
