Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon (Credit | Natasha Kishore)
Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Oh what a night it was! The roaring crowds, the glamorous red carpet, a black-tie event to remember, and an after party of epic proportions!

Unarguably the most high profile event of the season, the Filmfare Middle East 5th Anniversary Gala, held in conjunction with the 12th Dubai International Film Festival, took place on Saturday night at Madinat Jumeirah. The stunningly gorgeous Fort Island venue, along with the roaring crowds lining the red carpet, set the stage to welcome royalty, celebrities, and socialites.

Legendary singer and musician Bappi Lahiri kicked off the red carpet as he arrived to receive the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award. And guess what?

Yup, Bappi da performed live at the gala and totally killed it! Just ask Nowshad:

And then came the moment that hundreds of fans, dozens of cameras, and a gala full of VIP guests were waiting for – an entourage of cars pulled up at the venue and out came the entire star cast of Dilwale! To say that the crowd went wild as Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol walked arms linked onto the red carpet would be a gross understatement. You need to see it for yourself to experience the insane energy surrounding their entrance:

Gives you all the feels, doesn’t it?!

The sweetheart that he is, Varun Dhawan stopped to greet fans, take a few selfies, and give MissMalini a shout out:

What a guy! <3

Kriti Sanon looked stunning as usual, dressed in a beautiful color block, hi-lo gown.

Kriti Sanon at the Filmfare ME 5th Anniversary Gala
Kriti Sanon at the Filmfare ME 5th Anniversary Gala

Here’s what she said when asked what it was like to work with the golden couple, SRK and Kajol:

We don’t doubt it when Kriti says it was a blast to work with the legends, just look at how much fun the team was having on stage at the gala:

We weren’t kidding when we said the evening was truly an affair to remember! But the night didn’t end there. The stars did a quick black tie to night out transformation and headed over to Cavalli Club for XTC Nightlife’s red carpet after party. DJ’s Karan, Shadow, and Zubair dropped the (desi) beats as fans partied with SRK, Kajol, Varun, and Kriti late into the night.

As the night came to an epic end, the foursome lined up to bid everyone adieu.

The cutest! <3

Still craving more? Here are a few snapshots from the evening:

Malini Agarwal (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

MissMalini [Hair & Makeup: Looks Salon | Gown: Mar Mar Halim from Studio 8] (Photo | Natasha Kishore)

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Kalki Koechlin (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Kalki Koechlin  (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Bappi Lahiri (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Bappi Lahiri (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

H.H. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

H.H. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Nowshad, Malini, Arshiya, and Rij (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Nowshad, MissMalini, Arshiya, and Rij (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Kajol (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Kajol (Credit | Natasha Kishore)

Watch out for lots of live Periscope action from the event coming soon! Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and we’ll catch you there!