It was a night to remember when the fifth annual The Asian Awards took place in London! Not only did the show, hosted by Gok Wan, boast a performance by the Bend It Like Beckham musical, the stars came out…literally!
Shah Rukh Khan was honored for his Outstanding Contribution to cinema,”I am extremely humbled and honoured to receive this award. I say this very often that my stardom belongs to most South East Asians who reside abroad who have made the Indian cinema and me known around the world. I congratulate all the winners at the Asian Awards as well. There is so much talent around Asia and so many achievers, whether is was Dr Amar Bose, the Hinduja Brothers or Zayn Malik. I am glad to have been a part of such a wonderful celebration of hard work by people in difference field but similar passion.”
And to many a fan girls delight Zayn Malik made his first appearance since leaving One Direction and was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music. Zayn said: “I’d like to thank my mum and dad, and I’d also like to take this moment to thank four of the best guys I’ve ever met – everything I’ve done with them will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
A tweet by SRK with a picture with Zayn actually broke the internet! It hit over 110,000, yes thousand, retweets and was favorited over 160,000 times on Twitter alone!
Other winners included Kumar Sangakkara for Outstanding Contribution to Sport; the Outstanding Achievement in Science & Technology went to experimental particle physicist, Sir Tejinder Singh Virdee and the Outstanding Achievement in Television award went to comedian, actor and broadcaster, Sanjeev Bhaskar.The illustrious Hinduja Brothers were awarded as Business Leaders of the Year; while Gopi Gopalakrishnan, President of World Health Partners, which has helped several million patients around the world, won the Chivas Regal Social Entrepreneur category. Acclaimed designer, John Rocha, picked up the award for Outstanding Achievement in Art & Design and the coveted Founders Award was presented posthumously to Dr. Amar Bose, founder of Bose Corporation, for his remarkable contribution to technology.
Launched in 2010 by Paul Sagoo, entrepreneur and Founder of the Lemon Group, The Asian Awards, in Partnership with the British Asian Trust has quickly evolved into one of the world’s biggest celebrations of Asian excellence. Paul said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the staggering success of The Asian Awards this year and the remarkable level of support we’ve received. From Prime Minister David Cameron to global superstars like Zayn Malik and Shah Rukh Khan, joining us for this superb gathering of some of the world’s most inspirational and powerful people.
“I’m so proud of the way The Asian Awards are evolving. They have truly grown into a voice for the Pan Asian community to celebrate its own success – as well as become a way to share the stories and achievements and lives of these great people with the world, to inspire the millions of us who strive to be the best we can.”
Check out these amazing pictures of the night!
