Katrina Kaif throws tantrums for not getting an award minutes before 'paid in advance' performance

There has always been a noticeable debate about Bollywood award functions and many a times, celebrities are often heard saying that they are fixed. However, veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta has set the records straight how the award shows function and also recalled how Katrina Kaif threw tantrums for not getting an award after performing on stage.

Gupta, in his long opinion piece, recalled the incident which took place during 2010 Screen Awards (owned by The Indian Express group). Gupta was the CEO and the editor-in-chief of the organisation back then. He currently serves as the editor-in-chief of ThePrint.

He said that Katrina threw tantrums just minutes before her performance for which she was fully paid in advance. She was apparently complaining that she was not being given any award.

Gupta said that he was taken to her vanity van to plead her to perform on stage. Katrina had a breakdown when she said that why they always call her but give no awards. And how they had to invent a Popular Choice Award category to give Katrina a nomination.

"In 2010, when Katrina Kaif was to perform, paid fully in advance, she threw a tantrum minutes before her performance as she wasn't being given any award. I was taken to her vanity van to plead with her."

"Katrina was all dressed and painted up to perform. And then, the outburst. Why do they always call me but give me no awards? I said that was never the deal, you have a contract to perform. But by now, tears were streaming down her face, taking much of the make-up in their wake. Again, we invented a popular choice award," Shekhar Gupta wrote.

Gupta also set the records straight about the deals that take place to ensure star presence at award shows.

"The days leading up to the glittering awards evening in Mumbai, each January, was a nightmare. Because film awards in India are no longer just awards and speeches like the Oscars. These are multi-hour television shows paid for by the host channel which, in turn, collects from the sponsors. That needs ratings. Which is ensured in two ways: Get top stars to perform on stage, ideally to a hit song of each one from that year, and to fill in your star enclosure with the most popular faces. The first was easy, if expensive. The second was the trouble," Gupta explained.

He continued, "Because, a star attending or not would depend on whether he/she was getting an award or not. If we couldn't ensure an award (which we never did or would), not only would the star boycott, but also the entire clique or dynasty around him/her."