Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai, where most Bollywood stars have played their parts in movie shoots, saw them playing themselves when they walked through its iron gates and down the red carpet to attend the 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards 2007 ceremony.

It was an evening of glitz and glamour when the denizens of Bollywood showed themselves in their personal best and with expectations.

The function Saturday evening started with the national anthem and then the stage was taken over by Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan as they acted as emcees of the evening with beautiful Vidya Balan playing co-host.

After the announcement of a few technical awards, the colourful function reached its crescendo when the rising star, the energetic Neil Nitin Mukesh, who had debuted with last year's "Johnny Gaddar", danced with a bevy of girls to the tune of a song from the movie.

Singer-composer Himesh Reshamiyya rocked as he crooned a few lines from the songs "Aslam Walekum...", "Jhooth Nahin Bolna...", "Chakna..." and "Mehbooba...".

Deepika Padukone in a red sari stopped the hearts of many as she danced to the beats of a number from her debut movie "Om Shanti Om."

She and a group of boys and girls accompanying her took everybody present down memory lane as she also danced to the tunes of Mumtaz and Sridevi starrers of the yesteryears.

Viveik Oberoi made his sinewy presence felt on the stage as he strutted around in the guise of a street-smart guy as the track from the song "Aye Ganpat..." from the movie "Shootout At Lokhandwala" played in the background.

In a resplendent western outfit, with a hat et al, Kareena Kapoor entered the stage with an assurance of a lady and made everybody dance to her trot as she did a jig and performed from "Maija hi maija..." From "Jab We Met" and "Yeh Ishq hai...".

Bollywood's hit star Akshay Kumar came up on stage last and he held the attendees together as everybody gaped with wonder at the spirit in which he strutted around when songs from his recent films like "Bhool Bhulaiya" and "Welcome" played for his benefit. At midnight, his was the most energetic performance.

If the performances by the stars were too eye filling and too awe-inspiring, the comic relief was provided by the emcees themselves to compensate for the absence of comedy acts. Their repartees, asides, indirect innuendos and harmless bantering kept the invitees in splits.

The two Khans, especially, held the fort with as much aplomb as with charm. They walked away with all the appreciations from the gathering.

It was indeed the evening of the Khans, considering that Aamir Khan also walked away with all the coveted awards.

The Bachchans, virtually the first family of Bollywood, were conspicuous by their absence as the rest of the tinsel town filled the Yash Raj Studios ground for the 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards 2007 night.

The absence of the family consisting of four top stars - Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek and Aishwarya - was particularly felt because they are normally seen in all major filmdom dos.

The black lady statuette gave them a miss this year and, for the lack of any other valid reasons, it was surmised that that could be the reason why they chose to give the awards function Saturday night a miss, even though they live a stone's throw away from the venue.

Was the family hurt as none of its actor members was being selected for the top Filmfare awards for 2007 in spite their having a good body of work to prove their credentials for the honour?

No answer. In deference to the position the Bachchans hold in Bollywood, none would like to speculate over why they chose to play hooky this year. At least, as of now.

Superstar Aamir Khan Saturday night won the Filmfare Best Director Award for "Taare Zameen Par", which was also adjudged the best film, while Shah Rukh Khan ("Chak De! India") and Kareena Kapoor ("Jab We Met") won the awards for the Best Leading Actors in the male and female categories respectively.

The glittering 53rd Fair One Filmfare Awards ceremony at the Yash Raj Studios here went on till wee hours of Sunday. It was here attended by leading Bollywood celebrities.

The Critics' Award for Best Film went to Shimit Amin's "Chak De! India". The film also won the Best Cinematography Award. In the Critics' Award series, Tabu was named the best actress for "Cheeni Kum" and child artist Darsheel Safari ("Taare Zammen Par") was named the Best Actor.

Rishi Kapoor got a standing ovation as he won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

While the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) went to Irrfan Khan for "Life In A Metro", the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female) award went to Konkana Sen Sharma for the same film.

A.R. Rahman bagged the award for best music in "Guru" and also for the best background score.

Smita Thackeray who is accompanied by David Dhawan, announces the next award for Best Male Singer.

While Shaan ("Jabse Tere Naina" from "Saawariya") was named the best male singer, Shreya Ghoshal ("Barso Re" from "Guru") was adjudged the best female singer.

The Best Lyrics Award was won by Prasoon Joshi ("Ma" from "Taare Zameen Par").

The Best Story Award went to Amol Gupte for "Taare Zameen Par", the award for the best screenplay went to Anurag Basu for "Life In A Metro", and Imtiaz Ali was honoured for the best dialogue ("Jab We Met").

Deepika Padukone of "Om Shanti Om" won the Fresh Face of the Year Award as well as the Best Female Debutante, while the Best Male Debutant Award went to Ranbir Kapoor ("Saawariya").